The Forest
by Muffy Morrigan
Summary: Galen and Rob, with Sam and Dean Winchester, head into the forest to hunt the creature that poisoned both Galen and Dean. As the creature hunts the brothers, things go from bad to worse. Sequel to The Apothecary. Hurt!Dean Hurt!Galen COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: This is a sequel to _The Apothecary. _You don't have to have read that story for this one to make sense. All you really need to know is Dean was poisoned by an unknown creature and they sought help of a healer. This story picks up immediately after _The Apothecary. _In fact, it picks up as Galen and Rob leave the apartment and head downstairs. _

_A/N II: I've posted this under the series for my book. A couple of people have stories in the works, but said I should be the first to post here. Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing. The first two chapters of __**The Legacy: Book One of the Custodes Noctis **__are up on my website at MuffyMorrigan (dot) com. _

**The Forest**

**Chapter One**

Galen paced down the steps, pausing to look out the backdoor the way he always did in the morning. He wandered into the shop and unlocked the door, turning on the sign and rearranging items in the front window before walking back to counter. Rob was pacing around the edge of the shop, straightening items on the shelves and randomly moving things around. From his movements, Galen could tell he was thinking hard about something—and probably working himself into a temper as well. He could hear Rob muttering under his breath. "Rob?" he said, his brother stopped and looked up at him.

"Yeah?"

"How many times have I told you swearing under your breath in Old Norse is a pain in the ass?"

"It was Anglo-Saxon," Rob said with a smirk.

"That makes it so much better, sorry." Galen said with a roll of his eyes.

"Galen…"

"I need coffee." Hoping to avoid the conversation for another minute, Galen walked across the street to Becci's coffee stand.

"Morning, Galen," she said, smiling at him. She adjusted the scarf she was wearing and started his coffee without asking what he wanted. She never did. "You want one for Rob?"

"Sure." Galen glanced back at the shop, he could see his brother pacing around behind the counter. "Great," he muttered, the conversation was going to be even more fun than he thought.

"Galen?" Becci asked.

"What?"

"I said who was that guy with Rob this morning?"

"Sam, he's, uh, he's a friend of Rob's from school." Galen smiled as she handed him the coffees. "Thanks, Becci." He walked slowly back to the shop. Judging by the set of Rob's shoulders, he was annoyed, seriously annoyed or worried.

"What the hell?" Rob said as Galen walked back into the shop.

_Annoyed. _"What?"

"We are not going out with those two amateurs in tow," he waved in the general direction of the stairs.

"Sam and Dean are hunters…" Galen began, hoping to get Rob to lower his voice.

"They are not going out with us, Galen. No."

"Rob, calm down." The emotion coming off his brother was almost too much to take.

"Galen…"

"They are going to go after this thing with or without us, Rob and Dean…"

"What?" Rob frowned at him.

"The poison, it…" The bell on the shop door rang as it opened. "Later," Galen said, then headed over to his customer.

It turned into a busy morning. There was a steady stream of people, and both he and Rob were kept running. They didn't have a chance to return to their conversation until after noon, when the lunch crowd was through shopping and the customers had dwindled to a trickle. He was sliding a jar back onto the shelf as Rob finished the last transaction. The woman smiled at both of them before leaving the shop.

"Damn good day so far, Galen." Rob grinned at him. "It makes up for the past few."

"Yeah, I know. I can't believe we actually sold that statue. It's been lurking back there for a month." He dropped on his stool behind the counter. "We need to talk about this, Rob."

"I know." Rob leaned against the shelves, several jars wobbled before settling down. _How many times have I told him not to lean there? _"What is it?"

"The poison that infected Dean, it acts like a beacon. I stopped the initial effects, like dad did six years ago, but the beacon is still there."

"And?"

"Something happened while I was healing him."

"Yeah, I noticed that—when you fell down and stopped breathing," Rob said with a frown.

"Oh, you noticed that?" Galen smiled. "But something happened, the poison left over from six years ago—it's like it was reactivated."

"Reactivated?" Rob's voice hovered on the edge of an explosion. "What do you mean?"

"I can, how do I put this, I can feel it?"

"Feel what?"

"Feel it out there, hunting." Another voice entered the conversation. They turned as Sam and Dean walked in from the back of the shop.

"You too?" Galen asked Dean.

"Yeah."

"Sorry, I was hoping I solved that."

"Galen," Rob growled.

"Dean," Sam said in almost the same tone.

"Whatever it is, it's hunting. Not just for us, but it's out there, aware we're alive," Galen said.

"And it'll come after us, no matter where we are," Dean added.

"I thought you healed him," Sam said to Galen.

"He did! Were you paying attention when he almost died helping Dean?" Rob snapped.

"Then what's going on?" Sam took a step closer to Rob.

"We're trying to figure that out," Rob said.

"Coffee?" Galen asked Dean.

"Yep."

Galen led the way out of the shop. He could hear Sam and Rob's voices as the door closed. He rubbed his forehead. The headache that had started the night before still hadn't gone away. He focused a little of healing into himself, feeling the pain back off a little.

"Holy crap," Dean said with a huge grin.

"Oh, yeah, it's scarf day," Galen said with a laugh. Becci had her back to them, the tattoos decorating it standing out against her pale skin.

"Scarf day?" Dean looked at him.

"Theme days. Today is scarf day—the girls wear a scarf on top. Tomorrow is Goth Fantasy day, I think Friday is apron day." Galen walked up to the window and tapped on it.

Becci turned and slid it open. "Hi, your mocha and…?" She looked at Dean.

"Hmm?" Dean was smiling. Galen nudged him. "Oh, uh, Americano, thanks." He grinned at Becci when she handed him his coffee. "How'd she get talked into that?" Dean asked as they walked back to the shop.

"It's her idea. She bought the place a while ago, and didn't do very well, then came up with the idea of Hot Babes Coffee. Theme days came later. She's doing pretty well now."

"I bet. Coffee's nice and fresh," Dean said, taking a sip. "Hot, too—and not just the coffee."

"Yeah, she's busy pretty much all day." Galen paused outside the door, trying to get a sense of his brother's emotions before walking in. "Do we really want to go back in there?"

Dean looked in the door. "Well at least it looks like they're talking."

"Any blood?"

"Nope."

"Okay, I'm game if you are." Galen opened the door and walked in.

"I know, he was out of sight for a good five minutes," Sam was saying as they entered the shop.

"Five minutes, but it was gone when you got there." Rob was frowning. Neither seemed to notice Galen and Dean.

"Yeah."

"The werewolf," Rob said, frowning in concentration.

"What?" Sam asked.

"You said the werewolf was running from it. What happened to the werewolf?"

"Dean killed it."

"Huh. I wonder…" Rob trailed off.

"What if…" Sam said at the same time, he looked up at Rob. "Whatever it was—it was hunting the werewolf wasn't it? But why did it attack Dean?"

"He killed its prey?" Rob shrugged. "Maybe he was tastier."

"Tastier?" Dean said, Rob and Sam jumped. "I'm tastier than a werewolf? Damn right I am."

"Why?" Galen asked.

"What?" Dean turned to him.

"Why would something like that, something that hunts werewolves want you—or me for that matter?" Galen looked at Rob. "Any ideas Saga-boy?"

"Nothing off the top of my head," Rob said. "Huh."

"Huh? I see the wheels turning, Rob, what?"

"I need to look something up," Rob said with a distracted smile. "Want to help?" he said to Sam.

"Sure." Sam followed Rob out of the shop, a second later Galen heard their footsteps on the stairs.

"Hopefully they won't kill each other," Galen said, grinning at Dean.

"When Sam's in research mode not much distracts him."

"Rob, too." Galen sat down beside the counter, he looked out the window, the rain was starting again. He sighed. _Sometimes I hate the rain. _"Maybe you should move your car around back. I have a private parking area there. Turn right at the corner, then into the alley. I'll meet you out back."

"Sure." Dean pulled his keys out and headed out to the Impala parked in front of the store. Galen listened to the purr of the engine with appreciation. _Nothing like a big block. _The car eased away from the curb and Galen walked through the shop to the parking area in back. The Impala pulled around the corner and Galen gestured Dean to park next to one of the Jeeps. Dean pulled in and hopped out of the car, making a beeline for the Ford parked by the door.

"Is this yours?" Dean said with a whistle.

"It was a gift from a customer. She decided that she didn't want to drive anymore and wanted me to have the car. My family has helped her a lot over the last sixty or so years."

"What is this? Thirty-eight or thirty-nine?" Dean was running his hand over the car.

"Thirty-nine Ford Coupe. All original." Galen opened the door. "She kept it up very well."

"I'll say. There's hardly a mark on the thing. Do you drive it?"

"Of course. Mrs. Barkley informed me that if you don't drive it, it gets cranky and cross. So we use it around town a lot. We take the jeeps when we go out hunting."

"Good idea." Dean straightened from his examination of the interior. "Uh, could I drive her?"

"Sure, before you leave. Only if I get to drive that Impala, though."

"Awesome." Dean grinned.

They walked back into the shop, happily discussing cars. The conversation strayed into music and Galen mentioned The Urban Werewolves. The afternoon moved pleasantly on, except for a small ache that was moving through Galen's chest. He saw Dean unconsciously rubbing his chest as well.

"Think we should check on them? See if we need to clean up any bodies?" Dean said around four.

"Rob knows the rules, you get blood on the floor, you have to clean it up." He chuckled and walked into the back. "Yeah, let's go check, let me flip on the bell that rings upstairs." Galen hit the button and turned to Dean. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Dean said, swallowing. "Just a little lightheaded." He paused, putting a hand on the wall for a moment. "It's the poison coming back, isn't it?"

"It shouldn't be back like that. Maybe Rob and Sam have a few answers for us." Galen waited until Dean stood straight before heading up the stairs.

**XXX**

Sam followed Rob up the stairs. There was a low throb of panic, carefully controlled, but beating in his chest. He was sure there was more going on with Dean than his brother was letting on. _And what's new? One of these days Dean, I am so strangling you. _ When they reached the apartment, he grabbed his laptop and carried it to the kitchen table. Rob walked over to the bookcase and stood staring at it. While his computer was booting up, Sam wandered over and stood beside Rob.

"I'm tempted to just throw a dart at the shelf and start there," Rob said, frowning at the books.

Sam looked down the row of titles, some old, some new—and some that were beyond old. "Is this a copy of 'The Sagas of Sigwulf?' I thought there were only three copies extant," he said as he reverently pulled the book off the shelf.

"Four copies," Rob said with a grin. "I have a copy of Aelfric's _Bestiarum Vocabulum_, that might be a place to start. And here's Clyde's _Listing of the Demons. _What else?"

"You have Aelfric?" Sam replaced the first book and reached for the one Rob was holding. "This copy…"

"Yeah. If I'd sold it, I could have paid for grad school and had enough left over for Jaguar." He grinned. "Most of these are the family's, passed down over the years. I've added a few here and there. Some of them are originals. There's an herbal over there that Galen mutters about regularly—from 927 A.D., I think."

"Really?" Sam resisted the urge to go look. First, they needed to figure out what the thing was and how to kill it, then he could spend some time going through the other books.

"Yeah, I'll show you later, let's get on this before something happens."

"You think something is going to happen?" Sam asked as they carried books over to the table.

"Yeah."

Something in the other's tone alerted Sam. "Like what?"

"It's…" Rob dropped into a chair and put his head in his hands for a moment. "I can see the poison, you know?"

"You can…?"

"Yeah." He shrugged. "I can 'See' things like that. Good, evil, illness."

"You have the Sight?" Sam sank into the chair opposite him.

"It's part of being a Keeper. I have that Gift, Galen can heal…"

"What did you see?"

"I'm not even sure Galen is aware of it yet, but the poison—it's visible in him now, and it wasn't before." Rob sighed.

"And Dean?" Sam asked, his heart slamming in his chest.

"It's there. Moving. It's changed since you first arrived, it looks different—and exactly like what's in Galen. And…"

"And?"

"I've never seen anything even remotely like it, Sam," Rob said, his eyes bleak. He took a deep breath and smiled. "We'll find it." He shoved a book over to Sam. "How's your Latin?"

"Not bad," Sam said, opening the book. "Hey," he said almost an hour later. He looked over to where Rob was frowning over a huge book full of loose vellum leaves.

"What?"

"Look at this, it's an entry about werewolves." Sam shoved the book over. "I've been chasing it through the net as well and I think this might be something."

Rob chuckled. "I think so, too." He pushed his book over to Sam. "I think we're researching the same thing. Constantinus, an eighth century monk, calls it 'the eater of death'."

"Aelfric calls it the 'black worm.' He said it preys on werewolves."

"Vampires too, according to the monk." Rob flipped a page. "But why Dean and Galen?"

"I don't know," Sam said, scrolling through a page from Oxford. "Oh god. Has Galen ever—has his heart ever stopped?" Sam looked up when Rob didn't answer. The other's face was sad. "Rob?"

"Yeah. It has. Why?"

"I think this is our common denominator, listen to this." Sam read the entry he was looking at. "The black worm devours those touched by death, the unnatural, the evil, even the just and brave who have survived great wounds, all are devoured by the worm. Its evil knows no bounds and once it touches its victim, all hope is lost."

"Well, shit."

"Yeah."

"Someone has to have killed one sometime, Sam, we'll find the answer." Rob got up and went to the bookshelf and grabbed another book.

"What if they haven't?" Sam said more to himself than Rob. "Then we'll be the first."

"Yeah." Rob sat down and opened the book. "Can you read Icelandic?"

"Not much."

"Okay, you start on Saint Swithun, I'll go through this." Rob sighed and opened the book—the scent of old pages drifted through the room.

"How's it going?" Dean's voice broke into the silence sometime later.

"Huh?" Sam looked up at his brother and blinked. "I think I'm beginning to think in Medieval Latin."

"Veni, vidi, too much researchi?" Dean said with a smirk.

"Dean," Sam said.

"That's just painful," Rob groaned.

"How's it going?" Galen asked, walking over to the table.

"We have an idea of what it is," Sam said.

"And it's not good," Rob added.

"Of course it's not, and that always makes it more interesting." Galen walked into the kitchen. "Want a little coffee?"

"Yeah, I better. I'm worried the blood is overrunning my caffeine system," Rob said, standing and stretching.

"Well?" Dean asked, looking at Sam.

"A black worm," Sam said, frowning. Dean's face was pinched around the mouth and eyes—a sure sign his brother was in pain.

"Black worm?" Dean's eyebrows climbed. "That doesn't sound too bad."

"It hunts werewolves for food, Dean." Sam sighed.

"Oh, that sigh is so not good. What? I'm not a werewolf."

"You have been 'touched by death', though," Sam said. "That makes you prime prey. According to… never mind who said it… but apparently it really prefers humans."

"Sounds fun." Dean was absently rubbing his chest. "How do we kill it?"

"We're trying to find that out now. Dean?"

"Huh?"

"You okay?"

"Yeah, Sammy, of course." Dean smiled and walked over to the table. "You two went through all these?"

"Yes," Rob said, looking at Dean with an odd, unfocused look. "I was thinking of getting out the Ogham rods."

"Ogham rods?" Dean said, looking from Sam to Rob.

"Rob has an interesting collection," Galen said from the kitchen.

"Yeah." Rob was still looking at Dean.

"Rob?" Galen said quietly.

"Dean!" Rob was moving before Sam could react, before Dean cried out and clutched at his chest. Rob caught Dean as he fell.

"Dean!" Sam dropped down beside his brother.

"Sammy?" Dean reached out and fisted his hand in Sam's shirt, he was gasping for air.

"Oh god," Sam whispered, looking at his brother. A dark mark appeared at the edge of Dean's collar, looking a little like the ring left by a leech.

"No, Galen!" Rob said, his voice desperate.

"I have to help, Rob," the healer said, reaching out to put his hands on Dean's chest.

"You can't, the poison's moving in you too, it might kill you," Rob said.

"Rob…"

"No."

"Sammy?" Dean said, his voice strained.

"I'm here, Dean."

"I know." Dean sighed. "Not blind."

"Fine," Sam huffed. Dean smiled a little.

"I'm sorry…" Dean said, his fist clenching tighter.

"Sorry? Nothing to be sorry for, Dean. We'll figure this out."

"No, sorry because..." Sam saw Dean's muscles spasm. "I can't… Hurts, Sammy… Sorry… I…."

"Dean?" Sam said. _What? Dean, What? _

"Can't help… Sorry…" Dean gasped out.

"Dean?"

Dean started screaming, the sound pulsing with complete agony.

_**To Be Continued**_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Sorry this update has taken so long! Thanks as always to TraSan._

**The Forest**

**Chapter Two**

The room was full of the sound of Dean's screams. Sam was kneeling beside his brother as Galen moved close enough to touch Dean.

"NO!" Rob shouted. "Galen you can't!"

"I have to help," the healer repeated. "Rob, let me." He reached out and laid his hands on Dean's head and chest. Galen groaned, and shifted, a moment later Sam watched as the healer was shoved away, like some unseen hand had grabbed him and pushed him away.

"Galen!" Rob said desperately.

Dean's screams increased and he started clawing at his chest where the red mark was seeping greenish-black fluid.

"Hang on, Dean," Sam said, wondering what they could do. Galen was unconscious, and Sam had no idea how to stop the poison. He briefly considered running down to the shop to get the herbs he'd researched.

"Galen?" Rob called.

"Help Dean," Sam heard the panic in his own voice. _What can we do? _

"I can't, Galen…"

"I saw you… With Galen and those spirits. You helped him, help Dean."

"You don't understand, I can't."

"I saw you," Sam growled.

"I can't, it only…" Rob said. "Okay, that's it, this isn't working," it sounded to Sam like Rob was talking to himself. Rob moved so he had one hand on Dean's chest and the other on the back of Dean's head. Sam watched as Rob's eyes closed, an instant later Dean's screams were silenced, his body going limp.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?" Sam shouted, full blown panic flaring in his chest.

"SAVED HIS LIFE," Rob shouted back with equal volume. Moving, he knelt beside the healer. "Galen?" he said gently, laying his hands on Galen's head and chest. "Dad!" Rob shouted. "Galen? Can you hear me?"

"What did you do to Dean?" Sam growled.

"I put him out," Rob snapped. "I can't heal something like that. Dad!" he called again.

"You did what?" Sam said. Each word came out a little calmer, a little more controlled.

"It's like a sedative," Rob growled back. "Galen? Can you hear me? Dad, I need you!"

"It's okay, Rob," a voice said softly, a figured shimmered into existence and put his hand on Rob's back. "Let me help." Out of the corner of his eye, Sam saw another spirit appear.

"Thanks, Dad," Rob said, lifting his hands away a minute later.

"What's going on?" Sam asked, his voice completely without emotion. _Dean would freak if he heard that. "Save me from calm Sammy." _Rob and the spirit he called Dad moved towards Dean. "No! Stay back."

"He needs help," Rob said.

"Stay back." The volume was increasing again.

"We're just trying to help," the other spirit said.

"Don't touch Dean." Sam moved so he was between the others and his brother's still form.

"We can't help unless…" Rob began.

"STAY BACK!"

"What are the rules about blood on the floor?" Galen said quietly. He struggled into a sitting position. "Thanks, Dad." Galen moved towards Dean. "Let me…"

"No!" Four voices shouted at once.

Galen looked at them all with a sigh. "Okay, so what's the plan then? I don't think Sam is going to let Rob…"

"No one," Sam growled.

"And I'm pretty sure that goes double for Rob and Dad," Galen continued. "So that leaves me."

"No one," Sam insisted.

"Your brother," Rob began. Galen out a hand on his arm. "Fine, whatever, let him die then."

"What?" Sam asked, panic quickly giving way to a soul-numbing fear.

"He's dying," Rob said bluntly.

"Let me," Galen said.

"No, Galen, you try and you're out, too. End of statement," Rob snapped at him.

"Think you can, Brat? Bring it on. I need to help Dean."

"Galen," the spirit said gently. "The poison is moving in you, too, if you try again, the thing will sense you and push you away."

"No, it didn't do that," Galen said softly. "I broke contact."

"You what?" Sam asked.

"I'm sorry, I had to, I'll be ready this time. I have to be careful, it…it sensed me through Dean. I think it understands."

"Understands what?" Rob said, his voice going up in a crescendo that Sam recognized all too well. It was Sam's own "What are you talking about, Dean? When this is over, I am going to kill you" tone.

"About the healing." Galen moved towards Dean.

"Stay back!" Sam growled again. _It's probably good Dean's out, I'd get the mommy bear thing again. _The memory of that talk suddenly playing in his head. _"You know, Sammy, sometimes you are just like a mommy bear protecting its young. It's so cute." And Dean had ruffled his hair._

"Sam," Galen said, laying his hand on Sam's arm. Warmth flowed out from the touch, a sliver of white light calming his panic. "I won't hurt him, neither will my father. I need his help to block the reaction that made me stop the healing last time." He smiled at Sam. "My father, Paracelsus and uncle, Robert—Parry and Bobby respectively," he said, nodding at the two spirits.

The warmth flowing up his arm was beginning to calm the headache pounding behind Sam's eyes, the headache that had appeared when Dean had gone missing during the werewolf hunt. "Okay." He moved from in front of his brother.

"Thank you," Galen said, then put his hand on Dean's head and chest again. "Dad?" The spirit put his hand on Galen's back.

"If you kill yourself with this Galen, I'm not…Well, you know, so there." Rob said

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Brat," Galen said.

"And," Rob, continued, meeting Sam's eyes, "if something happens to Galen, I'll kill you."

"Same thing with Dean," Sam said, glaring back.

"Likewise for Parry," the other spirit, Bobby, said.

"So we understand each other," Rob said.

"Yeah, we do," Sam agreed.

"Yes," Bobby said.

"How many times do we have to cover the 'you break it you clean it up' thing, Rob?" Galen said, pulling his hands away. He started to fall, but Rob shifted so the healer could sag against him. "Dean's okay. Thanks, Brat."

"I won't kill you this time," Rob said with a smile

"Yeah," Sam said.

"Yes," Bobby added.

Rob looked at Sam, still smiling, the smile becoming a grin, then a laugh. Sam tried to resist the urge to smile back, but he couldn't help himself, he was laughing, relief flowing through him as Dean opened his eyes.

**XXX**

Galen walked slowly around the kitchen, his head was pounding, the ache in his chest had increased and his brother's ongoing "discussion" with Sam was beginning to wear. The two had been sniping at each other nearly non-stop since Dean had regained consciousness. Galen scrubbed a hand over his face, explaining the two elder Keepers was proving to be a bigger challenge that he thought it would be.

"So, your father and uncle just hang around?" Dean asked for the fifth time.

"No, well yes, they _are_ here, but…" Galen sighed, wondering how to explain the intricacies of the Keeper legend to an outsider. "They both died…"

"That's why they're spirits," Dean snapped.

"Right, they died—saving me actually," Galen said softly, the bubbling guilt when he thought of their deaths welling in his chest.

Rob stopped his conversation with Sam for a moment and looked over. "Don't, Galen."

"Yeah." He nodded at Rob, then turned back to Dean. "They died, but they came back, Keepers can summon…"

"You summoned them back? Dude, do you have any idea how dangerous…"

"Not for us," Galen growled. "Sorry. Keepers are different."

"You said that before."

"Yeah, and I'm saying it again." Galen rubbed his head. Between the emotions flowing off Rob and this conversation with Dean, his headache was beginning to feel more like something gnawing its way out of his brain. "When _Custodes Noctis_ die, we know we can be called back—to serve the way we once did, even though we're spirits at that point. Some of the physicality is lost, the ability to heal must be used through a living Keeper, but we serve nonetheless."

"Huh," Dean said with a frown.

Galen walked to the stove and stirred the soup he was making. It was for more than just nutrition, he added herbs for the poison that was slowing killing him and Dean, and then quietly contributed a spell to help the herbs keep them alive until they found a solution. He was covering the taste of the medicinal herbs he'd put in it with a broth.

"No, I think that translation if faulty, that's the problem with the web, sometimes idiots translate things," Rob said.

"This idiot is a professor at Cambridge," Sam replied in the same tone. It was more a teasing tone—or so Galen hoped.

"You don't think they hire idiots there?"

"I think they are less likely to hire idiots than a lot of places."

"Yeah, but look at this—this is clearly the plural form—but he has it translated as a singular."

"It's Old Norse, you just know that off the top of your head?" Sam asked.

"Yeah? You have a problem with that?"

"I am going to kill someone in a second," Dean grumbled from the kitchen table. "I don't care who, but violence is about to happen."

"Do you have a headache?" Galen said, setting a cup of the soup down in front of Dean.

"Headache?" Dean gave him with a funny look.

"Brain rats chewing their way out of your skull?" Galen sat across from him.

"Brain rats?" Dean grinned. "Yeah, that's the one. How do we exterminate the little bastards?"

"I'm trying to think of ways to do it without actually removing my head."

"You have brain rats, too?"

"Yeah. Try the soup."

"I don't want…"

"It'll help, trust me." Galen took a sip. "It's medicinal."

Dean sniffed it then took a cautious drink. "Not bad. Meaty. What?" he asked when Galen chuckled.

"No meat," Galen said with a smile.

"You're kidding?" Dean peered into the cup suspiciously. "No meat? Huh. It's good." He looked up and laughed. "Don't tell Sam I said something vegetarian was good, okay? I'd never hear the end of it."

"NO!" Rob slammed a book closed. "The Latin is wrong, it has to be." The wave of emotion from his brother hit Galen with enough force to ramp his headache another notch.

"There's nothing else available. We have to…"

"It's wrong, it has to be. We need to find the source."

"I'm not sure…"

"Gods damn it, Sam!" Rob nearly shouted.

"I know," Sam answered softly.

"That's not good," Galen said to Dean.

"Nope," Dean agreed.

"Rob? Sam? What's up?" Galen asked.

Rob sighed and walked to the table, Sam trailing behind him. "We're looking for a way to kill the worm."

"And?" Dean asked.

"And nothing, Dean," Sam said, frustration in his voice. "Nothing."

"We thought we were on to something, but the source petered out on us," Rob continued.

"Then we found a note in that text, and thought it might lead somewhere," Sam went on.

"So we followed that through the web and a few books."

"You know? That's really annoying," Dean said, looking from one to the other.

"It is," Galen agreed. "So? What did you find?"

"Nothing," they said at the same time, then looked surprised.

"Really annoying," Dean said.

"You found something," Galen said, knowing the truth without a touch, without the emotion flowing of his brother. "What?"

Rob shook his head and looked at Sam. "Nothing."

"Yeah," Sam said.

"Rob?" Galen frowned at his brother.

"Sam?" Dean's tone mirrored his.

"It's going to come for us, sooner rather than later. That's it isn't it?" Galen asked, Rob tried looking away. "And the two of you were going to go after it, weren't you?"

"WHAT?" Dean shouted then grabbed his head. "Okay, not doing that again. Sam? Is he right?"

"It's going to come after you and Galen," Sam said, looking at the bookshelf.

"Yep, they were, I can't believe it, they were," Dean's voice was full of aggravation, with a hint of panic. "They were going to ditch us and go after that thing."

"Why?" Galen asked Rob.

"You're vulnerable, Galen, the poison will light you up like a beacon."

"I know, but it will come for us here, too," Galen said gently, he could feel Rob's desperation prickling along his skin. "And if it comes into town, a lot of people will die. I can't let that happen."

"No, Galen, you can't."

"Can't let it happen?"

"No, you can't go," Rob said softly.

"Rob? What did you find?"

"It was in the Book of Solanus the Blessed."

"What?" Sam turned on him. "There was nothing there. I went through that too."

"No, you went through the idiot's translation. He dropped one whole passage."

"No, I looked at the Latin, too," Sam said.

"Yeah, I know, Sam, this isn't because of your research. The passage was the offset one in the daily devotion for February twenty-third, the one from the older book of hours."

"I noticed that, but it was in…"

"Anglo-Saxon. I know."

"And you read Angled saxophone?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, he does," Galen said. "What did you find?"

"It…" Rob swallowed. "Two words caught my eye, it's why I read the whole passage. _Secan _and _weard._" He walked to the bookcase, pulled a volume off the shelf, then carried it back to the table, opening it and pointing to the passage. "Here, see the words? _Secan _means seek, bring or sometimes attack and _weard _is…"

"Keeper," Galen said softly, looking at his brother.

Sam frowned. "You mean Keeper like _Custodes Noctis_?"

"Yeah," Rob said.

"Shit," Galen said, meeting his brother's eyes.

"There's more, Galen."

"Worse than looking for us? Or attacking?"

"Much worse, this word? It means living death."

"Living death?" Dean asked.

"Yeah," Rob answered.

"Shit."

_**To Be Continued**_

_A/N II: If you are enjoying Galen and Rob—either here or in The Legacy, I want to mention the contest I am having for fic and artwork in the Custodes Noctis universe. Details are at muffymorrigan (dot) com. Winning story will become canon._


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Once again, I'm sorry this update has taken so long. My internet time is even more limited right now, but I am trying to sneak in at least writing a chapter here and there. Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! Thanks to Trasan!_

**The Forest**

**Chapter Three**

Dean stared across the table at Sam and Rob. The two were frowning with a very similar look of concern. He glanced at Galen, then sighed. "Living death? Zombies?" _'Cause that would suck. Hate zombies._

"Well?" Galen asked.

"No, not zombies," Rob said with a bleak look.

"Sam?" Dean said to his brother.

"I didn't read that part, Dean, couldn't, it was in Anglo-Saxon," Sam said with a sigh. "I do know if it catches you, it feeds off of you as long as it can."

"Feeds?"

"Blood and life-force." Sam dropped into a chair.

"Fun," Dean said. "What else?"

"Rob?" Galen said. "Well?"

"After it's done, um, feeding. It has other plans for you."

"The other plans are always the ones that really suck," Dean tried for a smile.

"Yeah," Rob agreed softly.

"Out with it," Galen snapped.

"Tarantula wasp," Rob grated out.

"What?" Sam asked.

"Oh god," Dean looked at the other in horror. "Us?"

"Yeah," Rob said.

"Dean? Do you know what he's talking about?"

"What kind of TV do you watch?" Dean chuckled, rubbing the throbbing spot on his chest. "Every time I come in you have it on documentaries and you've never run across a tarantula wasp? It's a bee..."

"Wasp," Rob corrected.

"Yeah, whatever, it captures a tarantula, paralyzes it, but doesn't kill it so..." Dean swallowed, his headache was coming back. "So it can lay eggs on the spider, and when they hatch the larva have a nice fresh, living body to devour."

"It eats them alive?" Sam asked.

"Yep, fun times, Sammy."

"That's what it wants us for?" Galen said, getting up and walking into the kitchen.

"Yeah, I think so, Galen. It will feed, then lay its eggs in one or both of you." There was a knock on the door. "I'll go down," Rob said.

"It's Flash, I'll come, too," Galen said, heading down the stairs.

When the two were gone, Dean turned to his brother. "Sam?"

"How do you feel?"

"Fine," he said quickly.

"Right," Sam said, frowning at him. "How bad is it?"

"I'm fine," he repeated, trying to keep his voice steady. Sam's frown turned into the full squinch. Dean realized he was unconsciously rubbing the aching wound in his chest. He sighed and dropped his hand. "Sam..."

"Don't, Dean," Sam said, tears at the edges of his eyes.

Dean took a deep breath, ready to deny everything, but the look on Sam's face changed his mind. "What else did you find?"

"Five people have disappeared over the past three years, bodies, or at least the dried remains of bodies, were found. Huh," Sam paused, "one showed evidence of teeth marks. Something had been chewing on it. I wonder if the worm laid eggs, but they died before they could mature."

"They must have, there only seems to be one out there."

"Maybe it needs a different kind of host." Sam's voice trailed off, his eyes focused inward. It was Sam in full research mode, he was putting pieces together. "I wonder, I'll have to ask Rob."

"Sam? Pretend I can't hear what you're thinking."

"What? Oh, well, if Rob was right about that Anglo-Saxon text, and it did seek Keepers, maybe it needs something specific from them?"

"Where do I come in?"

"There was a long text on it feeding on warriors."

"I'm a warrior?" Dean smirked. _Hell, yeah, that's me, kick ass warrior. _

"Maybe to it you are," Sam smiled. "It needs someone strong to feed on, someone who can last awhile."

"Why don't I find that comforting?"

"Dean..." Sam began.

"No, Sam, you're not hunting that thing alone."

"Rob would..."

"NO!" Dean shouted, then regretted it. The cry felt like he'd stabbed himself in the head. "No, you are not going out there without me."

"You aren't up to the hunt," Sam said desperately. "And that poison will draw the creature right to you."

"And Galen," Rob's voice entered the conversation.

"Yeah, so you two need to stay here," Sam continued.

"No, you're not hunting alone," Dean said.

"I thought we'd settled that," Galen agreed.

"Dean..."

"Galen..."

"No," Dean and Galen said together.

"Rob? Why don't you and Sam get one of the jeeps ready?" Galen said, staring at his brother. Rob's eyes narrowed. "No, Brat."

"Galen?" A shout drifted up the stairs.

"What?"

"Where's the amp?"

"Behind the box in the back of the storeroom."

"Which box?"

"The only box in the back of the storeroom, Flash!" Galen walked to the head of the stairs. "Are you blind?"

"Bite me." It was quiet for a moment, the tension still in the room, when a loud crash came from downstairs. "I didn't do it!"

"What didn't you do?" Galen asked with weary amusement in his voice.

"Didn't break nothing," the other said. There were footsteps on the stairs and Flash came into the room. He was about thirty, with several scars on his face and his neck, long black hair pulled back in a pony tail, and wearing a Black Sabbath t-shirt. "I need the key if you want me to open in the morn...What's going on?" he said, stopping in the doorway.

"Nothing. We're just getting ready to go," Galen said with a false smile. "This is Flash, he plays bass in The Urban Werewolves. Flash, this is Sam and Dean."

"Hi!" Flash said. He frowned at Dean, then turned to Galen. "Galen?"

"It's okay, Flash."

"You're oozing so's he," Flash pointed at Dean.

"What?" Dean looked down, there were blood and green-black stains on his t-shirt.

"Oh my god, Dean!' Sam said, taking a step towards him.

"Huh," Dean pulled his shirt out. "I liked this shirt, too."

"How long will you be gone?" Flash asked.

"I don't know, tomorrow at least," Galen said.

"You do plan on coming back?"

"Yeah, we do," Rob said firmly. "Let me show you where that new shipment is, I want to get a few things from the shop, I'll be right back," he said over his shoulder. "Sam? You want to give us a hand?"

"Uh, sure," Sam said, following Ron and Flash down the stairs.

"They're up to no good. Don't let Rob get too close to you," Galen said with a smile.

"Don't drink anything Sam gives you," Dean grinned back.

"Oh?"

"He doesn't do it often, but every once in awhile for..."

"Your own good?"

"Yeah, that's his excuse." Dean sighed, remembering the last time his brother had drugged him. To be fair to Sam, he was in bad shape, at the very end of his endurance, and still wouldn't stop. So Sam had solved it. _Someday, I'll find that stash. _

"We should pack," Galen said, walking out of the room, Dean trailed after him. Galen walked into one of the bedrooms, stopping in front of a large closet.

Dean wandered in and stood behind him. "Holy shit," he said, looking into the closet.

"Thanks?" Galen said with a grin. He reached in and picked up something in a scabbard, pulling the blade out he handed it to Dean. "This is my favorite, a falcata, based on the Iberian design."

"Nice," Dean took an experimental swing with the sword. It was well balanced. He handed it back to Galen and looked around the small area. "You've got a little of everything here."

"Something for nearly every occasion." Galen was sorting through the weapons on the shelf. "

This is nice," Dean said, picking up the Browning 9mm from a shelf.

"Yeah, I've had that one a long time," his eyes darkened briefly like that one. "Rob prefers a .45."

"My dad always made us black the night sights," Dean said, putting the gun back.

"Rough."

"Yeah. What are these?" Dean reached for one of a pair of swords resting against the wall, as he touched the scabbard something that felt like an electric shock buzzed up his hand and exploded behind his eyes, he stumbled back into the wall.

"Dean!" Galen steadied him, warmth flowed up his arm, stilling the pain pulsing behind his eyes.

"What the hell?"

"Sorry," Galen sighed. "I didn't know they would affect you like that."

"What?"

"Our swords, the swords of the _Custodes Noctis._" Galen picked one up and pulled it from the scabbard. The blade was covered with words, runes and other squiggles that could be writing. "I know they have a spell of protection on them, but I've never seen anyone... huh... I wonder..."

"Wonder?"

"Nothing, I'll ask Rob, he's a font of information," Galen chuckled. "Okay, what else? Blades, guns..."

"Is that a water gun?" Dean asked.

"Supersoaker, in fact," Galen handed it to him. "It is handy for delivering things like herbs in water or holy oils."

"Good idea." _Why the hell didn't I think of that? Holy water in a water gun? Brilliant. Buying one tomorrow. Oh, yeah, if I live. _

"Thanks. I don't think we'll need it this outing. Actually, I have no idea what we need." He grabbed several items from the shelves, stuffed them in a bag, picked up the _Custodes Noctis _swords and closed the door. "You should leave the Impala here, the jeeps have four-wheel and if they get banged up you aren't putting a dent in that car." Galen smiled appreciatively. "I'd hate to see that."

"A dent in my baby? That would be bad." Dean hated the idea of not driving, of not being in control. _What if...?_

"I know," the healer said quietly, "but it's better if we stick together."

"Yeah," Dean sighed. _Doesn't mean I have to like it. _He took the items Galen handed him and followed him out of the room.

**XXX**

The jeep was speeding along the highway, heading into the mountain. Sam glanced over at his brother, Dean had his eyes closed, his head back against the seat. Dean's t-shirt was wet with a combination of blood and the green-black, the red ring that had appeared on his chest was now a wound, oozing the fluid. _This is not a good idea, I don't care if it might come after him in the city. This is not a good idea. _Sam sighed.

He wasn't happy his brother was hunting the creature, and he knew Rob felt the same way about Galen. They'd tried to gather up the items from the shop and get out the back without the others, but their brothers apparently had the same idea. When Sam and Rob walked out the back door, Dean and Galen were loading one of the jeeps. _Yeah, "loading" they had every intention of leaving. _After a short discussion, they'd finally all agreed it would be better to stick together.

"I think this is the turn," Galen said, breaking into Sam's thoughts.

"Okay." Rob pulled off the highway onto a small dirt track. The jeep lurched as they went off the pavement. "Sorry."

"Where are we?" Dean said, sitting up and looking around.

"Just took the turn into the national forest." Galen twisted so he could look at them. "This is where we were when I was attacked, I think. It looks familiar."

Sam leaned forward so he could see the map. "Take the next left, that's where we were." A small groan from beside him pulled his attention back to Dean, his brother's face was white. "Dean?"

"I'm okay," he replied.

"We're getting close to its hunting grounds," Galen said, looking over at Rob.

"I still don't like this, Galen."

"Do you think we'd let you go hunting without us?" Galen asked.

"Yeah," Dean agreed.

"You should have," Rob said with a growl. "What's that?" He stopped the jeep.

"I don't know," Sam said, looking out.

"What?" Dean leaned over so he could see out of Sam's window. "It's dead whatever is."

"Check it out?" Rob asked.

"Probably should," Galen said, getting out.

"Wait for us," Rob said to his brother.

"It's really dead," Dean said a few minutes later, looking at the remains on the ground.

"Really, really dead." Rob grinned. "Human."

"There's something that had fur over there," Galen said, gesturing towards a stand of trees.

"Think it feeds here?" Dean looked at Sam.

"Maybe," Sam said, crouching down by the body. "This isn't as old as it looks, Dean."

"What? It looks like a mummy."

"Yeah, but I think it's not that old, look at this," Sam pointed to one of the leg bones, something had been chewing on it. "This is broken like a fresh bone."

"You're right," Rob squatted down beside him.

"How old?" Sam asked the other.

"I don't know, my anatomy classes went in one ear and out the other." Rob chuckled.

"Not helpful, Brat. Dean and I will go check..."

"No!" Sam and Rob said together.

"That is getting irritating," Dean said to Galen.

"Yeah," Galen agreed.

"We could..." Dean began.

"Dean?" Sam stood and faced his brother. _No, Dean just no. _

"One hunter, one Keeper, Rob, we could cover more..." Galen added.

"No."

A cry sounded from the forest. Sam glanced at his brother. It had sounded almost like the werewolf they'd been hunting when the creature grabbed Dean. The cry came again closer that time. "Dean!" The blood had drained from Dean's face and he fell to his knees. Out of the corner of his eye, Sam saw Galen stagger against Rob. "Dean?"

"I'm okay, Sam."

"What's going on?"

"It's close, Sammy," Dean said as Sam pulled him to his feet.

"We need to get you two out of here," Rob said, his voice strained.

A low growl rumbled under Sam's feet. He saw something moving in the trees, at first he took it for a shadow, but it stopped, edged forward and stopped again. The growl bounced around them. "Dean..." Sam started pulling him towards the jeep. "Rob's right we need to get you out of..."

It struck, flying through the trees so fast Sam barely registered the movement before it was too late. Dean was knocked down, the huge black creature covering him.

And they were gone.

"DEAN!" Sam shouted, racing into the woods following the trail the thing left as it moved through the forest.

"Get the weapons, Rob!" Galen said. Sam heard them following him moments later. "Sam! Stop, let us catch up!" Sam slowed but didn't stop. The trail suddenly ended as Rob and Galen caught up. "Left!" Galen said as he came up beside Sam.

"Okay!" Rob said, moving off the trail and into the bushes. "Over here!"

Sam turned in the direction of the shout, plunging into the undergrowth, ignoring the blackberries as they tore at his clothing. The trail led to a clearing surrounded by ferns. A huge maple stood in the center, but there was nothing else growing in the large circle. They slowed. Rob and Galen skirted the edges of the clearing and Sam walked into the center.

"The trail ends here," Galen called from Sam's right. "I think it's gone underground." He walked to Sam.

"How did it get underground?" Rob asked.

"You're the one who found out what it was, you tell me," Galen snapped.

"Where's Dean?" Sam said softly. "How did it move that fast?"

"I'm not sure," Rob said. "We need to back track and see if we can find out where we went wrong."

"It was here, Rob," Galen said with certainty.

"How do you know?" Sam asked, trying to stay calm. His panic level was quickly going from nothing to full blown. _Hang on, Dean. _

"Yeah, it was, but the trail fades out," Rob said.

"Okay, so, where do we start?" Galen was rubbing his chest, swallowing hard. "I... Sorry, lunch isn't agreeing."

"Yeah, right," Rob said with a frown.

"We have to find Dean." Every instinct Sam had was screaming for him to move, follow the trail do something, anything.

"I know," Rob said, glancing towards the far side of the clearing. "No!" He was running towards Galen when the creature burst into the clearing. It slammed into Galen, they heard a scream of pain and it was gone again, vanishing before their eyes. "Galen!"

"What happened?" Sam ran up beside him.

"I saw it appear out there." He looked at Sam, his eyes filled with panic. "Galen?" he said softly, so softly Sam barely heard it. "Galen? Can you hear me?" He cocked his head to the side as if he were listening for something, then shook his head.

"What're you doing?"

"Oh, sorry, as _Custodes Noctis, _we share a psychic link."

"You can communicate through it?"

"Yeah, it also alerts us to what's happening with the other and..." He paused. "Galen are you and Dean..?" he said, his eyes unfocused. "Galen? Oh gods. NO! GALEN!" He shouted.

"Rob? What is it?" Sam caught him as he staggered.

"Galen, he's... No. Sam, I think, oh gods," Rob was having a hard time breathing. "Galen, no."

"Rob?"

"Galen..." Rob gasped out, he collapsed against Sam, his breathing more and more ragged. "He's gone. They both are."

"Gone? What do you mean gone?" Sam lowered him to the ground. "Rob?"

"I'm sorry, Sam."

_Sorry?_

_Gone?_

_Dean?_

_**To Be Continued**_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Sorry it's been so long since an update on this one! Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing. Thanks to Trasan._

**The Forest**

**Chapter Four**

The forest was full of sound, the wind moving through the clearing, the soft sigh of the breeze a counterpoint to Rob's harsh breathing. Sam knelt beside him. "What do you mean gone?" he repeated, trying to calm his panic. If Galen was gone, it meant that Dean might be... _Oh god, no._

"Galen's gone, the bond broke, Sam. I..." Rob took a breath, his face growing paler with each passing moment.

"What?"

"We..." Rob took a deep, slow breath. He closed his eyes, his lips moving. Sam thought he caught a Latin phrase. The Keeper laid there for another minute, Sam counted the seconds off in his head, then Rob opened his eyes. "Okay, we need to find it. Fast." He held out his hand. "Help me up."

"What's going on?" Sam demanded.

"When the bond is broken, it's bad." Rob stood and leaned on his sword, the point digging into the ground.

"Bad?" Sam looked at him, _What the hell does that mean? _

"Very."Rob took an unsteady step, heading towards the edge of the clearing.

"Do you mean..." Sam caught up with him, stopping him with a hand on his arm. "Are you dying?"

"Pretty much." Rob smiled.

"Why?"

"It's part of being _Custodes Noctis_, Sam. We share a link, it lets us fight more efficiently, lets us survive wounds that might otherwise kill us."

"What do you mean?"

"The link lets us go on. When we were fighting the Old One..." Rob swallowed. "Galen was...And after..." He shook his head. "But, if one of us dies, the other will." He shrugged. "It's just how it works. I can keep going for awhile—long enough to kill the thing—but then..."

"You die?"

"Yeah," Rob said with a finality in his voice that Sam decided not to pursue. "It went through here, it left a trail."

"Where did it go?" Sam said, looking around. _Did it drag Dean this way? Was Dean okay? Is he...?_There were several bushes that had been broken, a trail where something had been dragged clearly marked the ground for several feet, but then disappeared.

"This way I think," Rob said, his eyes unfocused.

"What do you see?"

"It looks like the poison that's in Dean and Galen."

"Like a slug trail?"

"Yeah, exactly!" Rob smiled at him.

A low growl sounded from the trees to their right. Sam stopped, looking into the forest. The sun was starting to set, the woods around them growing dark. Rob paused peering into the trees as well. The growl came again, closer this time, Sam caught the flash of something moving behind the undergrowth. The animal—whatever it was—was a dark shadow sliding through the forest. He heard Rob start moving again, and followed, aware of the creature stalking them from the bushes. "Rob?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you know what's moving out there? Can you see it?"

"No."

"Okay, is it animal or...?"

"It's not vegetable." Rob chuckled. "Supernatural, though. I wonder if it's hunting us."

"What else?"

"I don't know. There has been an increase in dark creatures lately. Over the last few months, I've heard more reports of dark things wandering around."

"We have, too," Sam said, glancing over to where the creature was moving.

"Is that why you were out here? Hunting the werewolf?"

"No, not really. A friend called us and told us about the attacks. We were in the area, and said we'd check it out."

"Do you hear that?" Rob stopped and raised his hand, his head cocked to one side.

"What?" Sam paused. "Wait—that clicking noise?" He turned in the direction of the sound.

"Yeah."

The clicking got louder for a moment longer, then disappeared. A second later there was a terrified yelp from the trees. Sam heard the creature racing through the bushes. It exploded onto the path in front of them. It didn't even look in their direction as it ran past them. "That's not good," Sam said.

"No," Rob said, staring into trees. "Shit. Get down!" Without waiting for Sam to move, Rob tackled him shoving them both off the path and into a large bush.

There was something else moving in the forest now. Sam felt it vibrate up from the ground. The tremors were so small that if he hadn't been flat on the ground he wouldn't have noticed them. He held his breath, listening to the forest around them. There was a barely audible hum, in a deep tone, one low enough that it was a physical sensation. It grew steadily louder, as it approached, Sam's heart started slamming in his chest. He tried to breathe through a growing panic. After several terrifying seconds, something moved out of the thicket, it slid towards them. Sam could barely control the urge to run, to get away from whatever was there. _Breathe. _The thing was coming towards them slowly, then, it was almost close enough to touch when it paused for a moment—then it accelerated so quickly it was gone as if it had never been there. Sam heard its passage through the bushes. The panic that had filled him was ebbing. He was pushing himself up to follow it when a terrified howl echoed around him.

"It's hunting whatever was stalking us," Sam said as he stood. _What the hell was stalking us? I don't think it was a werewolf, then what?_

"Follow it?" Rob said. Sam realized it was a question and turned to look at the Keeper. "Or backtrack it?"

Sam paused, turning the question over in his head, letting the pounding of his heart ease a little. "Backtrack."

"Yeah." Rob scrubbed a hand across his face.

"Are you okay?"

"Okay enough. Let's go."

They walked down the trail of broken, flattened vegetation that the thing had made as it moved past them. The light was fading, a stand of birches standing out, their white trunks light against the darker fir and maple that filled the forest. Another howl broke over the forest, ending in a sudden yelp, then nothing. Sam spotted something off the path they were following. He headed over to a small clearing, ringed by large stones and dead trees. "Hey," he called softly, his voice seeming loud in the quiet of the dark woods.

"What?" Rob walked over to him.

"Look." Sam pointed down to the mass of bones on the ground. He squatted down and poked at them. "Some of these are fresh, some older."

"Some human," Rob said, kicking through the pile.

"And at least one vampire." Sam picked up a jaw bone with a double set of teeth clearly visible. "You think it feeds here?"

"I don't think so. It doesn't look like a feeding ground," he said. "And these are pretty jumbled."

"Yeah, they are, and all different ages." Sam got up and scouted around the edge of the clearing. "Them!" he said suddenly.

"Them who?" Rob asked.

"The movie, 'Them', it's about giant ants."

"Yeah?"

"Have you seen it?"

"Are there people who haven't?" Rob was digging through the pile of bones with a knife.

"Remember the scene when they find them in the desert?"

"Which one?" Rob stopped what he was doing. "You mean the one when the ant spits out the ribcage?"

"Yeah, cleaning out the anthill."

"You think this is... ? Huh, could be."

"It dumps the bones out here when it's done with them?" Sam said, thinking out loud. "Then where is it coming from?"

"Its mark is all over, there isn't one main trail."

"How often do you think it cleans house?" Sam asked thoughtfully, an idea starting to form.

"I don't... Oh, we wait?"

"What do you think?" Sam said softly, nearly everything in him screaming to keep going and find Dean. There was one small voice, that sounded remarkably like his brother, that told him to wait.

"Galen..." Rob took a deep breath. "Galen always says waiting can be a good offense."

"Yeah. So?" Sam said, meeting the other's eyes.

"We wait."

**XXX**

There was the sound of water dripping from nearby, a steady drip and with it came a fetid scent of decay and an acrid undertone that Galen could taste in the back of his throat. He tried to move, his body refused to obey the command, he took a breath and tried to focus a little of the healing, nothing happened. It was in that same moment that he realized that he couldn't sense his brother at all. "Rob?" he said, suddenly aware of the broken bond like an aching wound in his chest. _No. _There was a deep darkness buzzing through his body, making the poison thrum in sympathy. "Rob?" he said again.

"He's not here," Dean answered him.

"_Rob?" _he called through their connection. Nothing. Galen's heart started pounding. He opened his eyes to complete darkness and reached out a hand, coming into contact with a wall, it was hard, but tightly packed earth, not stone. "It's blocking me," he said out loud. _Maybe that's why I can't sense Rob, not that he's dead, but it's blocking me._

"What?"

"Dean?" Galen tried to sit up, when his body didn't respond he rolled away from the wall. As soon as he was out of contact with the earth, the darkness throbbing through his body receded. _In the walls but not the floor. The floor is stone, maybe that's why? _"Where are you?"

"I'm okay."

"That's not what I asked. Where are you?"

"What? Against a wall," Dean said.

"How badly are you injured?"

"I'm okay."

"Yeah, me, too." Galen put his hand against the wall, the darkness buzzed happily. "Can you move away from the wall?"

"What?"

"It's aggravating the poison." Galen moved towards the sound of the hunter's voice. "If you get away from the wall..."

"Yeah, that might be a problem."

"Can you move at all?"

"I can't see."

"I can't either, I'm hoping it's dark in here."

"When it first attacked me, I went blind." Dean sighed, Galen could almost hear the shrug in his voice. "I kind of assumed it was the same thing."

"Yeah?" Galen's hand came into contact with Dean's foot.

"Can't move much either."

"How much is not much?" Galen asked, grabbing Dean's foot. "If I help can you move?"

"Not far."

"You just need to get away from the wall."

"Okay," Dean said. As soon as Galen felt movement, he pulled, dragging Dean away from the wall. There was a moment of silence, he could hear Dean's ragged breathing. "Huh. I feel a little better."

"There's something in the wall," Galen said, moving in the opposite direction. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what? Wait—that clicking sound?"

"Yeah, it sounds like it's getting closer." A second later, the floor started trembling, the clicking sound filling the air around them. It increased in volume until Galen clapped his hands over his ears, trying to block it out. Something in the sound made the poison in his body react, he fell back against the floor, unable to move. The ground was shaking, dirt falling on his face, the noise filling his head to the point he couldn't think—and then it started diminishing, like the rumble of a freight train going by. It had been silent for several minutes before Galen heard a groan from beside him.

"Shit," Dean said.

"Yeah," Galen agreed. "Rob and Sam might need to hurry."

"You think they're okay?" The despair in Dean's voice hit Galen hard.

"Honestly? I don't know. The bond is broken, I can't sense Rob at all, which is bad."

"Bad?"

"Yes, but, there is something in the walls that is blocking the healing. I think it might be blocking the bond too. If it hunts Keepers, it might have a way to break that link—to make us more vulnerable."

"Wishful thinking?"

"Maybe, but there is something here that is blocking me."

"So what's the plan?" Dean asked.

"We figure a way out?"

"You think?" He heard Dean shift. "Where is out?"

"I don't know, which way did the sound come from?"

"Behind me," Dean said.

"Okay." Galen rolled over and crawled till he came into contact with a wall. He ran his hand along it, trying to get a sense of what was out there. He heard Dean moving as well.

"Chamber's about ten feet?" Dean said from his left.

"I think so," Galen said. He slid his hand a little further. The wall wasn't just tightly packed earth, as he'd assumed, it had more of a concrete feeling to it. Under his palm the texture of the wall changed, the soil looser. The lash of darkness that hit him was enough to cause his arm to go out from under him. "Over here, can you dig into the wall without it affecting you too much?"

Dean came up beside him and a shower of dirt fell on Galen. "I think so," Dean said with a groan. "As long as it's not too far."

"I'll see if I can find something to help." Galen felt around, trying to locate anything he could use to dig through the wall. A shout of surprise pulled his attention back. "Dean?"

"I'm through. It gave way."

"How big is the hole?"

"Big enough to crawl through I think," Dean said. There were the sounds of movement and more dirt fell on Galen. "Yeah, you can get through." Dean's voice echoed like it was in a larger space. Galen heard emotion stirring in the hunter's voice, despite the business like tone. "I'm still blind."

"Maybe it's still dark," Galen said, forcing himself through the small space. His fell into an open space, dropping about a foot onto a stone floor. His voice echoed around them. "Corridor?"

"I think so. There is something slimy over here. I think it's a trail."

"A slime trail?"

"Yeah, how fun is that," Dean said with a chuckle. "Think it leads out of here?"

"It might, or it might take us deeper."

"Should we follow it?"

"Do we really have a choice?" Galen asked.

"No. So follow the slimy brick road?"

"You aren't going to start singing are you?"

"Why not?" Dean was humming "Follow the Yellow Brick Road." Galen followed the sound of the hunter's voice. "Hey, I can stand up. How big is this mother?"

"Big?" Galen said, standing. He reached his hand over his head, expecting to come into contact with the ceiling—he didn't. "Really big."

"Yeah. Let's go, I'll take point."

"Right." Galen fell in behind the sound of Dean's footsteps, edging a little to Dean's left, so that if something came up on them it wouldn't get them both in the same attack. _Well, maybe, depending on how big it is. _"How long can you keep going?" he called after several minutes.

"I'm okay."

"I'm a healer, Dean, you can't lie to me about things like that."

"You said the walls were blocking you."

"Yeah, but I have ears. I can hear you limping on your right leg, your breathing is off..."

"Smart ass."

"Answer my question. How long can you keep going?"

"I'm okay."

"Dean," Galen growled. "Do you really think that's smart? Not letting me know how badly you're hurt? If we have to fight, it's good to know what I can expect."

"Fine, how long can you keep going?" Dean snapped, his footsteps stopping abruptly.

"Not too long," Galen answered. "The poison is starting to affect me. I think my ribs got bruised when it grabbed me. I'm okay for a little longer."

"Yeah, okay. Me, too." Dean started moving again.

They walked along in silence. The corridor turned sharply to the left at one point. Dean ran into the wall, then moved off with a muffled curse. Galen kept waiting for his eyes to adjust to the dark, for some sliver of light to reach him—but nothing happened. He was beginning to think that maybe Dean was right, and they were both blind.

"It turns again," Dean said from in front of him. "Right this time."

"Okay." Galen put his hand out, feeling for the wall. His fingers brushed it, and he turned to the right.

"It's sloping up. Wait a minute."

Galen stopped. "What is it?"

"There's another branch. I think I feel a breeze. Give me a sec."

"Okay."

"There's a break in the ceiling up here," Dean called. "I can feel the wind. About ten paces from the last turn take a left."

Galen counted off the paces, as he reached the place Dean indicated, he felt the bond snap back into place. "Rob?" he called.

"What?" Dean said.

"Rob?" Galen reached out through the bond for his brother.

"_Galen?" _Rob's voice was loud in his head, as if he had shouted. _"It's Galen, Sam," _Rob said, his voice had the odd echo that meant he was talking to someone else.

"They're okay," Galen said to Dean.

"Thank god," Dean whispered.

"_Dean's with me," _Galen said.

"_I can't read you, are you okay?"_

"_For now."_

"_Where are you?" _Rob asked

"Galen," Dean said.

"_Underground, we're following a corridor. There's something down here that's blocking me, but Dean found a break in the wall."_

"Galen," Dean repeated.

"_Can you stay there? Maybe I can locate the break."_

"Galen! Listen!" Dean shouted.

"_What's going on?" _Rob said softly.

Galen heard it then—what Dean had heard, a muted clicking, the ground was starting to tremble. _"We can't stay here, Rob."_

"_What? Why not?" _Rob demanded.

"_It's coming back."_

_**To Be Continued**_


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: I know I haven't updated this one in awhile. I'm sorry. I am finally catching up on everything! I won't keep you waiting long for the next chapter of this one! Today (October 31) is Galen and Rob's birthday, so I thought it fitting that I posted this chapter today. Also, the first chapter of The Hunt, sequel to The Legacy—the first book about Galen and Rob—is available at my website muffymorrigan(dot)com. Thank you to TraSan. _

**The Forest**

**Chapter Five**

The clicking sound was growing louder, the noise throbbing through Dean's body. The need to run away from it was beginning to get the upper hand. He tried to see into the dark corridor, the inky black was unrelieved by any light source. _Of course, I might be blind. _ He tugged on Galen's arm, trying to get the healer's attention. "We've got to go," Dean said.

"I know. Rob, we have to get out of here. Where are you?" Galen paused. "Good idea, wait there if you can."

"Galen," Dean said, the floor was beginning to tremble as the thing approached.

"Okay, the bond's going to break when I run, be ready," Galen said. "We have to go now."

Pain was beginning to accompany the sound, pulsing in time with the poison infecting him. Dean reached out into the dark and started moving, heading away from the sound that was coming towards them as fast as an approaching train. He stumbled over something, nearly falling, but Galen managed to catch him before he hit the floor. As he ran, he kept a hand in front of him, far enough out to let him know if a turn was coming up, his fingers brushed a wall and he turned, the floor suddenly sloping down. The passageway opened up into a large room, he could tell from the way their footsteps echoed around them. Dean stopped, wondering which way to go, trying to get a sense of what was around them, without waiting long enough for the thing to catch them.

"Where to?" he asked Galen.

"I don't know. It stopped."

Silence filled the spaced around them. Except for their harsh breathing it was quiet, the clicking hushed, the tremors gone, the poison in his body throbbing at an unbearable level. "Is it here?"

"Maybe?"

"Can you see anything?" Dean turned towards the sound of Galen's voice.

"No, I'm as blind as you are," the healer answered calmly.

"It stinks."

"Rotting flesh is always lovely, isn't it?"

"One of my favorite things." Dean grinned. "Which way? Keep going straight or turn?"

He heard Galen moving behind him, steps moved to his left. "There's a wall over here."

"Stick to the wall, then."

"Yeah. There's an opening here, I can hear something inside."

"What do you hear?"

"Chewing, I think."

"Yeah, chewing."

"Oh so not good."

"I think," there was a pause, "I think there is more than one of whatever is back there."

"More? What is it?"

"Rats?"

"I hate rats," Dean muttered. "Didn't... Huh."

"Huh what?"

"Think those are the tarantula wasp babies?"

"The what?" Galen asked, sounding confused. "Oh you mean the worm's larva?"

"Duh. Let's get out of here before we're on the paralyzed and eaten alive menu."

"Yeah and the faster the better. Whatever is in there is moving. AH!" Galen shouted in pain.

"What?"

"Something's got a hold of me. Shit."

"What is it?" Dean ran towards Galen's voice.

"I... Gods..."

"Galen?" Dean reached the healer as the other was pulled against the wall. Dean ran a hand down Galen's arm towards his hand and tugged. Something sharp pierced his hand. He cried out, but held on, trying to free Galen from whatever had a hold of him. As he pulled, something hit the wall on the other side. "What is that?"

"Really don't want to know."

Dean tugged again and Galen's arm came free, they tumbled away from the wall. He heard a sound from where they'd been, like something was striking the wall, a dull thump echoing around them. "It's pissed."

"Yeah."

"What's wrong?"

"Not feeling great."

"Me either."

The thumping was getting louder as Dean pushed himself up. He looked in the direction of the sound, wishing he could see what was there, but he couldn't. Another thump joined the first, then another. "What the hell? We need to get out of here." Dean said.

"You're right."

They hadn't gone more than a few steps when the clicking noise was back at high volume. Dean felt the earth tremble under his feet, the throb in his body exploded and something hit him hard, throwing him into a wall. He slammed into the unyielding surface and dropped to the ground. Groaning, he tried to get up.

He didn't make it.

**XXX**

There was a soft breeze blowing through the trees around them, the forest was alive with sound, bushes whispering, the calls of animals—and other creatures, filling the air. Sam was listening to the one sided conversation between Rob and Galen, when the Keepers knees buckled, Sam grabbed his arm and pulled him back to his feet. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, bond broke when they ran, but yeah, I'm okay. It's easier knowing he's alive right now." Rob took a deep breath. "They physical effects of the broken bond are still there, but it's easier to deal with."

"What do we do now?"

"Galen said we should wait here."

"Are they close?" Sam said. If the Keepers could communicate through their link, maybe Rob could use it to find them, too.

"No, I don't think so, it was still partially blocked, but they weren't around here."

Sam huffed, the need to do something to help Dean was beginning to get the upper hand. The panic that had disappeared when Galen and Rob were talking was back, pounding in his chest. He didn't know if he could just wait to see if the creature appeared at the bone dump. Even if it did appear, now that they know Dean and Galen were alive, what was the point of just waiting?

"I can't wait here," Rob said quietly, startling Sam out of his thoughts. "I'm sorry, I just can't."

"I can't either, so what do we do?"

"Try and find out where they are, if they pass another break, I should be able to read Galen, at least for a moment."

"Which way from here?"

Rob closed his eyes for a moment. "South, that way."

"That way?" Sam looked at the undergrowth with chagrin. "Through the blackberries?"

"Maybe there's a way around them?" Rob said hopefully.

"How far do we detour to get around them?"

"Not far, we can always hack through them if we need to. Let's go." Rob started into the trees, skirting the mass of blackberries.

"Rob?"

"Yeah?"

"How are we going to kill it?"

"I was hoping Galen could help. If he's not there, I'm not sure what we'll do."

Sam was quiet, following the Keeper through the forest, it was dark under the trees, sound muffled by the undergrowth. Small animals scurried from them as they went past, and he could hear larger things moving further back. They'd been walking in silence for several minutes when Sam got the feeling they were being watched, that tightening of muscles in his back. He slowed down, trying to figure what it was without being too obvious. He noticed Rob has slowed as well. Sam was about to say something when a low growl came from his left.

"Sam!" Rob shouted, turning towards him.

The growl came again, Sam was moving when it hit him. He tumbled into a bush, narrowly avoiding a tangle of blackberries—not that it mattered. A shaggy face full of fangs and reeking of rotten meat was peering at him, heavy paws resting on his chest. Sam raised his arm, trying to protect himself from the descending teeth, and managed to hold it off, its teeth snapping inches from his neck. It pulled back, its weight moving off him. Before he could get up, it was back, hitting him in the chest with both front paws, driving him to the ground and momentarily stunning him. Sam blinked, trying to bring everything into focus when he heard Rob's shout. The creature lifted its head and Sam shoved it again, rolling out from under it as he did. He was on his feet an instant later and the massive beast was between the two of them. It swung its head back and forth as if trying to decide which to attack.

Sam met Rob's eyes. "I'll distract it, you kill it."

"Not a good idea."

"Okay, you distract it and I'll kill it."

The wolf-like creature growled.

"I don't think it likes either idea," Rob said.

"Can you tell what it is?" Sam asked.

"It's not a werewolf." Rob's eyes looked unfocused for a moment.

"Supernatural?"

"Oh yeah."

"Bad?"

"Like eats people, wreaks havoc kind of bad?"

The creature growled again, sounding annoying its head still swinging back and forth.

"Yeah, that kind of bad," Sam huffed.

"Yes." Rob looked up with a smile. "I've got a plan."

That sounded so much like something Dean would say, Sam started to panic. "What?"

"Catch!" Rob tossed his sword at the same moment he dove at the creature.

**XXX**

The sound around him was causing the walls to tremble, dropping bits of earth on Galen. He fought off the wave of nausea and pain and tried to stand. "Dean!" he shouted, the hunter had been knocked away from him when the thing had attacked. He'd heard Dean's yelp of pain, but nothing since. Galen took several steps forward, one hand out in front of him. The thing was there, causing the poison to throb in his body, he took a deep breath and tried to focus the healing, but the Gift was still gone.

The thing was making a new sound, still clicking but it had a rumbling undertone. The noise had diminished, and Galen could hear Dean's ragged breathing as a counterpoint to the other sounds. And it was sounds, whatever was behind the wall was thumping, making small clicking cries. The thing answered those cries, the sound thrumming through the walls. "Dean?" he called again.

A groan answered him.

Galen sped up, his foot coming into contact with something squishy that moved underneath his boot. He raised his foot and stomped down hard, hoping he'd guess right. The thing roared, the squishy bit—Galen thought it was a tail—pulling away from him. He tried to get to the wall, but the thing struck out, swiping his legs out from under him with the tail. Galen struggled up, but the tail had him pinned in place, pain pounding through his body. "Dean? Dean!"

"'M okay."

"Sure you are," Galen snapped, tired of the other minimizing wounds that could effect their ability to fight. The frantic cries from behind the wall were increasing in volume. "Can you get up?" Galen asked.

"Yeah, I think so, what's that noise?"

"The larva," Galen answered.

"The..." Dean paused. "I've got an idea."

"Yeah?"

"Can you get to where they are?"

"Get to where...?" Galen grinned when he realized what Dean was thinking. "Use the larva to distract it?"

"Yep."

It's got me pinned."

"Me too. Hang on." There was a pause, Dean screamed in pain and the tail abruptly moved.

Galen didn't wait to see what was going on, he moved along the wall until he got to the opening and reached in, his hand coming into contact with something warm—a living body. _Oh gods. _As he slid his hand along the body, tiny teeth latched onto his arm. He twisted his hand and grabbed it and pulled. At first it wouldn't fit through the opening but after bashing it against the wall several times, the barrier gave enough to pull it out.

The thing howled, the larva in his hand answering it. It writhed, trying to get away from him, but he held on, darkness lashed up his arm, agony following, pulsating in the scars on his chest. He took a deep breath and swung his arm, the larva hit the wall, he pressed down, trying to crush the writhing larva. It was harder than he expected. The larger thing was clicking, he could hear it approaching as he slowly applied pressure to the larva's body. A sudden _crack_ resounded in the darkness, the larva stopped moving and the thing roared, the ground shaking under Galen's feet. He waited for a breathless count of three, dropped the larva and ran. Less than a second later, he heard he thing hit the wall, pieces of earth and rocks raining down on him.

"Dean!' he yelled, expecting at any moment to be grabbed from behind. The creature wasn't coming, he could hear chunks of the wall dropping behind him, and the clicking cries of the larva.

"Here," Dean answered just as Galen ran into him. They fell back against a wall.

"Can you run?" Galen asked.

"Yeah, sure." Dean took and unsteady step, Galen heard the hunter's grunt of pain.

"Yeah, sure," Galen growled, reaching out and pulling Dean's arm over his shoulder. The hunter's weight sagged against him, then straightened. "You make sure we don't run into anything."

"Right. Run."

Galen didn't run, but went as fast as he could manage carrying most of Dean's weight. They made a turn and the corridor started going up, the incline steep enough to slow his steps. He had no idea where they were going. _Get away_ was the only thing going through his head. Their time was running out, the thing would be there, he knew it. The ground was trembling, the clicking distant, but there. It was growing louder, but he didn't know if it was because the creature was moving or it was furious. Neither sounded very fun for them.

A wisp of fresh air brushed his face, five steps later the bond snapped into place. _"Rob!" _he called through their connection.

The clicking was getting louder, the walls groaning in protest.

"_Galen! Where are you?" _

"_Heading out, I hope. You might want to get here."_

"_Yeah. On our way. Sam! We have to finish this," _Rob said, the voice echoing as he spoke to the other hunter.

"_Finish what?" _Galen realized he could see a small patch of light.

"_We're on our way! Duck! Sam!" _Rob called.

Galen felt a surge of worry buzz through the bond. His brother and Sam were in trouble. Just great.

"_I heard that," _Rob said.

The sound was deafening, Galen ran as fast as he could towards the growing light. The breeze was bringing the fresh smell of the forest. _"Hurry."_ They broke out from under ground, an enormous root ball from an ancient tree towered over him.

"We make it?" Dean mumbled.

Galen kept going, didn't look back, he could hear it now, its body dragging over the ground as it approached. "No."

_**To Be Continued**_


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing! Thank you to TraSan. Oh, yeah, and um, not deathfic._

**The Forest**

**Chapter Six**

The sound behind them was deafening, the ground trembling beneath their feet as Galen desperately tried to get them away from where the creature was rising out of the ground. The poison in his body was thrumming in time with the noise issuing from the thing, pain lancing through his body as he dragged Dean into the trees. The hunter was stumbling along beside him, trying to help as much as possible, but Galen was carrying most of his weight. Dean suddenly cried out, reaching for his head—the next moment, Galen felt something burn across his scalp. "Dean!" he said, grabbing the hunter's hand so he couldn't spread the liquid.

"What is that?"

"You really don't want to know," Galen answered, looking up at the creature towering over their heads.

"Is it drooling on us?"

"Pretty much."

"Can this day get better?" Dean groaned, tripping over a root. Galen grabbed his arm, trying to drag him up, but the creature was on them, he felt the cold brush of its breath across the back of his neck and turned to face it. _"Rob?" _Galen called through the link.

"_On my way, Galen, give me a half a sec."_

"_Don't think I have that long, Brat," _Galen managed to reply before something connected with him, tossing him into a solid mass, he dropped to the ground, fighting to remain conscious. He pushed himself up and dragged Dean behind him, trying to block the creature from the injured hunter. _"Sooner would be better, Rob."_

"Galen?" Dean said, reaching out blindly. "What's going on? What's it doing?"

"Nothing right now, it's almost like it's waiting," he said. A soft rumble filled the forest around them.

"That's not good. Sounds like that are never good."

"Oh shit," Galen said, craning to see around the creature.

"Not good?" Dean asked, a smirk on his face.

"Not really."

"How not good?"

"Remember the little larvae?"

"Yeah?" Dean paled. "Are they here?"

"No." Galen took a step back, running into the hunter.

"No? Then what? Oh, god, there's more of them, aren't there?"

"Yeah." Galen locked his hand around Dean's arm, preparing to run.

"And they're a lot bigger?"

"Yes." Galen took a breath, pulled Dean's arm over his shoulder—and ran. "Rob!" he shouted, through the link and out loud, hoping his brother would get there in time.

**XXX**

Blackberries thorns tore at Sam's clothing as he and Rob raced through the brambles to reach Dean and Galen. The forest around them was full of chattering nose, and from somewhere behind them he could hear a deep growl.

"Great!" Rob shouted, glancing back. "Looks like that thing we killed has friends."

"Friends?"

"Yeah, several, they're headed this way."

Sam slowed and looked back, he could see the creatures moving along the edge of the bushes. They weren't trying to follow, instead they were pacing back and forth. He could just make out their shaggy backs as they shifted. "Why aren't they following us?" he asked, speeding up again to catch Rob.

"Too smart to run through blackberries?"

"Maybe not," Sam said as something broke through the bushes to his left. A mass of fur and teeth headed straight towards him.

"Duck!" Rob said, swinging his sword as Sam hit the ground and rolled underneath the creature. "On my way, Galen, give me a half a sec," the Keeper said, stepping out of the way of a blow from the long claws of the thing. "We need to get going, Sam."

"Yeah." Sam had his hands around the throat the thing, its teeth inches from his neck.

"Hold still and move your head away as much as you can."

"What?"

"Move, now!"

Sam shifted as quickly as he could, he saw the flash of the Keepers sword as it sliced through the creatures neck, cleaving the head from the body, hot blood sprayed him as the body convulsed and dropped against his chest. He shoved it away with a grunt of disgust. Rob offered him a hand up and hauled him to his feet. A low growl rumbled through the blackberries. Before Sam could say anything, the Keeper dropped as if he'd been hit. "Galen?" Rob whispered, his face white.

"Rob? What is it?" Sam asked, trying to lift him to his feet. The scream that echoed over the forest told Sam everything he needed to know. "Rob?"

"They're in trouble." Rob stood, looking like he was ready to fall over, then took a deep breath, paling a little as another scream sounded, this time closely followed by another voice. Sam felt a jolt of fear as he recognized Dean's voice.

Sam didn't wait for the Keeper to start moving, he ran through the blackberries in the direction of the screams. He broke through the tangle of bushes—Rob right behind him—and stopped for an instant in horror. Rob let out a muffled curse as he got his first look at what they were facing.

The creature was there, its mass rising out of the ground, a horrific stench filled the area, with each growling breath the thing made, the smell increased. Sam swallowed a gag as he stared at it, trying to force down the sense of utter hopelessness curling through his chest. _Oh god. _That wasn't the worst of it, however, there was a writhing mass of worm-like creatures slithering towards Galen and Dean.

"Dean!" Sam shouted, completely panicked. The thing turned towards them, a small group of the smaller creatures changing their focus to Sam and Rob, moving to block them from Galen and Dean. Rob muttered something under his breath and lifted his sword, cutting the creature closest to them in half.

"Sam?" Dean called, one hand in front of him.

"He's blind," Rob said from beside Sam.

"What?" Sam asked, turning to the Keeper.

"He's blind, and the poison is moving in both of them. Oh shit, I should have known."

"What?" Sam tore his eyes away from his brother and looked at the worm Rob had killed—which was apparently not dead, both halves were wriggling on the ground.

"Sorry."

"Yeah," Sam huffed. "Now what?"

"If we get rid of the big one, I think the little ones will die."

"Shoot them!" Dean said.

"Cutting them in half made two, shooting them might make more." Sam glanced around, trying to figure out how they could kill the creature. The conversation had only taken seconds, still it felt like hours as Sam ran through every option they had.

"Can you move to the edge of them?" Rob said quietly, Sam looked over, the Keeper's eyes were focused on Galen. He pressed his lips together in an angry line, shaking his head, he cast a look at Sam then returned his gaze to Galen. "Damn all, Galen!" Rob suddenly snapped.

"What's going on?" Sam grabbed his arm.

"My brother is a pain in the ass," Rob ground out, chopping down on one half of the creature he had tried to kill.

"I know the feeling," Sam said. "Look at that." He pointed at a tree by Galen and Dean.

"They need a diversion." Sam heard Galen say to Dean.

"My middle name," Dean answered. Sam clenched his jaw, he could hear the pain in his brother's voice. _Too much. _And the fact that it was laced with fear made Sam's heart pound painfully against his ribs. "Sammy?"

"Ready, Dean."

"One," Rob said, handing his big sword to Sam.

"Two," Galen replied.

"Three!" Dean finished and pulled away from Galen, dropping to the ground and rolling down into a small indentation at the base of a large rock.

Sam started moving towards his brother as Galen moved towards Dean, a mass of the smaller creatures following them. Sam struck out with the sword, letting the weight of the blade do the work for him—rather than using it as a cutting weapon, he brought the flat of the blade down on one of the things heads, squishing it into the ground with a loud _splat. _He used the sword on the next one, and the next one, smashing a path to Dean and Galen. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rob shimmying up the tree.

As Sam squished the fourth one, the huge creature let out a bellow and shifted so it could bring its tail to bear, swiping at Galen and slamming him into the rock over Dean. Sam growled at his brother as Dean stood and waved his arms over his head, shouting at the creature to "come and get him." Sam sped up his attack, trying to get between his brother and the creature.

"Now!" Rob called from over his head. Sam looked up as the younger Keeper pushed a broken branch off the limb it was caught on. The wood dropped towards the ground like a thrown spear, piercing the worms head and pinning it to the ground. It writhed in pain, its tail whipping through the air like a massive whip. Sam ducked under a huge swipe of the slimy mass as it cut through the air.

"Dean! Look out!" he screamed desperately, knowing it was too late before the words were even out of his mouth. The tail collided with his brother, sending him flying. "DEAN!" He raced after his brother, reaching him as he hit the ground with a sickening _thud. _

"You 'kay, Sm?" Dean mumbled as Sam knelt beside him.

"Hey, man, yeah, I'm okay," Sam said, lifting Dean onto his feet and pulling his arm over his shoulders.

"Good."

"Galen, can you do this?" Rob asked gently. Sam looked up, Rob was standing in front of Galen, his hand on Galen's shoulder. Blood was pouring from the older Keeper's forehead, his face far paler than Sam remembered. Galen nodded, swaying as he did so. "I'm not sure," Rob said.

"Just tell me what I need to do," Galen answered, his eyes fixed on his brother's face.

Something latched onto Sam's ankle with the force of a bear trap, cutting through skin to the bone. He yelled in pain, nearly releasing his hold on Dean as another one of the small worms tried to pull Dean away from him. Sam twisted around so he could poke at the one holding onto his lower leg, trying to keep the other one from pulling Dean away. It took three heavy blows before the thing let go of him, and the pain radiating up his leg let him know that it had done a lot of damage.

The sound of notes strung together in something that could be a melody suddenly filled the air around him, the song building in intensity. Sam looked up, Galen's eyes were closed as he sang. Rob was standing behind him, a look of awe on his face. He was focused completely on what Galen was doing and the effect it was having on the massive creature skewered to the ground in front of them.

The worm was trying to lift it's head off the ground, it slid up the sharp branch with a slurping sound. Galen's song continued to build. Black slime was gushing from the creature's head, teeth snapping inches from where the Keepers stood. Galen's hand went to his head in a gesture of pain and he dropped to his knees at the same moment Dean groaned, a tremor running through his body.

The remaining larvae closed on Dean at the same time, Sam couldn't fight them off. They pulled Dean from his grasp and fell on his brother. Dean screamed in agony as one of them latched onto him, dark streaks moving out from where the creature held him. Sam tried to fight his way through to Dean, but one of the things bit down on his leg, stopping him before he could reach Dean. He slammed into it with the sword, splitting it in half, but not caring at this point.

Galen's song ended in one long note.

Sam looked up, light was pooling at the feet of the Keeper, then it washed out, blindingly bright. Sam instinctively covered his eyes, ducking his head as the wave of light reached them. A nauseating sound—the sizzle of the creature as the light roasted it alive—blended with the shrieks from the smaller worms. Sam looked up in time to see the huge body of the worm melt beneath the heat of the spell Galen had created, the next instant the larvae blasted apart, splashing black slime over Sam.

Galen dropped lifelessly to the ground.

"Galen! No, come on, Galen!" Rob was beside his brother, one hand on Galen's forehead the other on his chest. "Galen, no."

"Dean, no," Sam's whisper echoed the desperate tone of the younger Keeper. His brother was covered with blood and black liquid, a dark wound marring his neck. Sam dropped to his knees beside Dean, reaching a shaking hand to check his brother's pulse. There was nothing there, not even the tiniest hint of life. Sam hung his head, tears filling his eyes and spilling over. "Dean, no."

_**To Be Continued**_


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Thank you all for your patience. Scream of the Butterfly is coming! I'm sorry I've gotten behind RL is grrr sometimes. Thank you all for reading ans reviewing and thanks to TraSan._

_A/N II: For more of Galen and Rob—The Hunt, the second novel featuring the Emrys Brothers is now available at Amazon dot com, and from other book retailers, including Barnes and Noble and international stores. _

**The Forest**

**Chapter Seven  
**

There was something howling in the distance, Sam could hear the plaintive sound over the sizzling of what was left of the worm and there was a deep throbbing ache in his ankle warned him of a serious—perhaps debilitating injury. The burning in his arms and shoulders was what he was focused on, that and what was causing it, the rounds of chest compressions and breaths as he did CPR on his brother. He was so intent on his purpose, the tears gathered in his eyes hadn't found their way down his cheeks yet. In the half second before he'd started, he'd seen Rob bending over Galen's, his voice soft and pleading as he spoke to the older Keeper. Sam had turned away, unable to watch the other man's grief. _Please, Dean. _Count, breath, count, breath, count, breath.

"Sam," a voice came from far away. He ignored it. "Sam!" Count, breath, count, breath, count, breath. "Sam!"

"Get away."

"Sam! Let Galen get to Dean!" Rob said."Let him!"

"Stay back," Sam said, breaking from the rhythm for a moment. His world was focused on Dean.

"Galen can save him!" Rob grabbed Sam and pulled him away, Sam fought against the hold, and he struck out in his desperation to get back to Dean, Rob grunted. "Damn it, Sam!"

"Let me go," Sam growled, still trying to pull away, as he struggled something sent a wave of near-agony coursing through his body, he groaned. He felt a hand at the back of his head and everything went gray for a moment.

"Can you stop the bleeding?" Galen was asking as Sam opened his eyes. It must have been only an instant, because Galen was just kneeling beside Dean.

"I can try," Rob said.

"Okay," Galen said, laying his hands on Dean's forehead and chest. The Keeper paled and closed his eyes.

"Dean, please," Sam whispered.

Galen swayed and Sam felt Rob tense. "Galen," Rob said softly.

"Don't give up, Dean," Galen said, his voice barely audible.

"Galen," Rob said again. Sam recognized the tone—it was similar to his own when Dean was doing something close to suicidal. Rob was starting to move when Galen gasped, an instant later Dean's chest rose in a deep breath. Sam waited, Dean inhaled again. Galen sagged, Rob caught him and lifted his hands forcibly off of Dean. Rob eased the older Keeper back so he was leaning against a log.

Sam tried to get to his brother, but his body was suddenly refusing to respond.

"Help Sam," Galen mumbled.

"Galen?"

"I can't," he said gently. "Dean's alive, but that's all I can do right now. I'm okay, help Sam."

"He's alive?" Sam asked, needing reassurance despite the shallow rise and fall of his brother's chest.

"He is," Galen replied. "Rob."

"Right," the younger Keeper said, stripping off his jacket as he moved back to Sam. "I need to look at your leg."

"My leg?" Sam shivered, shock was starting to set in, and with it the nauseating dizziness of blood loss.

"Yeah, your leg," Rob said, pulling a small dagger out and slitting Sam's pant's leg open. He took a breath and let it out slowly, pulling off his t-shirt, he folded it into a pad and laid it on Sam's leg. Rob then took the black bracelet off his right wrist and started unwinding a long length of cord. When he was finished he pressed the t-shirt tightly against Sam's leg and wound the cord around it to hold it into place. Pain shot up Sam's leg, exploding behind his eyes in waves of white-hot agony. Rob laid a hand against Sam's forehead, and placed the other on his chest. Sam felt a tiny glow of warmth pushing some of the throbbing pain away. "Sorry."

"Sorry?" Sam opened his eyes and looked at him.

"Rob?" Galen was trying to get up.

"Stay there!" Rob snapped.

"What's going on?" Sam asked.

"I can't heal this, I can't even start to heal this," Rob said, gesturing at Sam's ankle.

"What about Dean?" Sam shifted his eyes to his brother's still form.

Rob snorted in frustration, then glanced at Galen for a long moment. The older Keeper nodded. "Yeah, but gods, Galen, I don't want to do that."

"Do what?" Panic was starting to thud against Sam's ribs. Hadn't Dean said that Galen could...

"We don't have a choice, Rob," Galen said. "I can't heal myself, let alone keep Sam and Dean alive. You know what's there."

"Yeah," Rob said, swallowing. "Okay."

"What's going on?" Sam demanded, surprised at how weak his voice sounded.

"Easy, Sam." Rob pulled a phone out of his pocket. "Damn, not much of a signal." He dialed and watched the screen. "Got enough." Rob held the phone to his ear. "Mike? Just great." He glanced at Galen. "He's alive. Yeah, that bad. Out by Tiger Mountain, yeah. Let me get my map." Rob read their location off the map. "You can't miss it, there's a big burn. Yeah, he did." He slid the phone closed and sighed.

"What's going on?" Sam repeated vaguely. The combination of pain and blood loss—and something else, a strange throbbing in his leg—was becoming too much.

"It's okay, Sam, I called for help." Rob frowned at him, his eyes looking unfocused. He tilted his head to the side.

"Something's wrong." Sam tried to get a look at his leg.

"Yeah, the saliva from the larvae is, uh..." Rob looked a little green. "Not good."

"What?" Panic throbbed in time with the crazed beating of his heart. "Is Dean okay?"

"You need to calm down, you don't want to spread that stuff."

"Let me up!"

"Sam, calm down!" Galen said, his voice almost a whisper, but sounding like a shout. "Rob! Don't let that shit spread."

"What?" Sam was becoming increasingly aware of the strange pain in his ankle. It was getting hard to breathe, too. He tried to move, to get to his brother again, when he felt Rob's hand on his forehead and one on the back of his neck. "Wha...?" The sound of a heartbeat filled his mind and the pain disappeared, an instant later everything else disappeared as well.

The strange throb was still there when things started coming back. It was muted, and there was a pinch in his arm that Sam knew must be an IV. The distinctive smell of hospital air wormed its way into his brain, he heard someone shift in the chair beside the bed and forced his eyes open with a groan. "Dean?"

"Hey, Sam," Rob answered.

"Where's Dean?"

"He's okay, he's just down the hall."

"Where?"

"It's okay, Sam, he's got a really good doctor."

"I need to see him." Sam tried to move, the pain hit him so fast he dropped back to the bed with a gasp. "My leg hurts."

"Yeah, I know. We're going to have to wait for Galen to take care of that. They have you on a pump, use it."

"Oh," Sam said, fumbling for the button.

"I got it."

Sam heard the beep of the machine and the warmth from the drugs lulled him back to sleep.

A chill breeze and pressure on his leg woke him. Sam opened his eyes. A doctor was bending over his ankle, a frown on his face. He gently turned Sam's leg to get a better look and Sam hissed in pain. "Sorry," the doctor said without looking up.

"How's Dean?"

"Sedated," the doctor said to Sam's leg. He poked at it again, shook his head and looked up. "Rob promised me you would behave and I wouldn't have to sedate you."

"What?" Sam asked confused, trying to fight his way through the fuzziness of pain meds.

"You're going to behave, right? Not try and pull your IV and race around the place?"

"Huh?"

The doctor chuckled. "I don't think I have to worry about you getting up yet. Your brother is a very determined man, by the way." He smiled at Sam. "I'm Mike Silva."

"Dean? Huh? Where are we?" Sam felt like he'd come in late and had missed something important.

"Hospital in Tacoma. Rob called and we brought you in. It would be nice if he called sometime before everyone was mostly dead."

"What? Mostly dead?" Sam tried to push himself up, his hands weren't really responding but he tried.

"Hold on there." The doctor stopped him with a hand on his chest. "Behave or sedated. I can't have you hurt before you go home."

"Home?" The feeling of having missed something was growing.

"Yeah," Silva said, looking back at his ankle. "I cant have miracle cures in the hospital, people don't get it and I can't do anything about this—or your brother for that matter."

"This?"

"He means your leg," Rob said, stepping into the room with a frown on his face. "How long until Galen is awake, Mike?" he asked.

"It shouldn't be long now."

"It shouldn't be at all," Rob growled. "He can't heal when he's drugged."

"I know that, Rob. The EMT did it, he thought he was helping," Silva said defensively, his hands raised. From the way he was reacting, Sam suspected it wasn't the first time the doctor and Rob had discussed the situation.

"What's wrong with my leg?" Sam asked as his brain caught up with the situation.

"Well, to start, it's torn to shreds." The doctor grimaced. "But that's not the worst of it, and at the rate it's going, you could lose it." He paused when Rob growled. "I know, Rob, don't start."

"Lose it?" Sam grabbed for the doctor's arm.

"The larvae's saliva, um, begins the digestive process, Sam."

"You make my job all shits and giggles. I need to check on my other patients," the doctor said sourly, then turned to go. He laid a hand on Rob's shoulder and gave it a squeeze before heading towards the door.

"Thanks, Mike," Rob answered, then waited until he left before turning to Sam. "He's really not that bad usually. He worries about Galen, they're close, and one or two close calls recently have set him a little on edge." He sank down in the chair beside the bed with a sigh. "Once Galen's awake, I think you'll be okay."

There was something in the way he said it that had the panic back thrumming through Sam. "How is he?"

"Not good, they sedated him, and when he's out like that he can't use the healing. The damn poison isn't gone, and he needs to deal with it or I'm going to lose him again."

"Again?"

"Yeah, he was dead for about ten years," Rob said wistfully.

"How's my brother?" Sam asked. "Tell me!"

Rob looked at him with unfocused eyes. "He did wake up somehow in ER, freak out and start looking for you, which freaked both Mike and the nurse out."

"And?"

"He's in bad shape, Sam. I think Mike's hoping Galen can heal him enough to get him to our place."

"How bad is bad?" Sam dreaded the answer, he was pretty sure he already knew, considering the look in the Keeper's eyes.

"In ICU on a clock. The poison is wreaking havoc, the bites the larvae gave him are digesting, and from what Mike said, he's blind."

_Oh god. _"Can I see him?"

"Mike said absolutely not, no way are you supposed to get out of this bed."

"Rob," Sam said, his voice somewhere between a growl and a desperate whine.

"It's okay, I understand. I really do," he said seriously, then chuckled. "I already swiped a wheelchair, it's in the bathroom." He got up and pulled the chair out of the small room and rolled it over to the bed. "Getting up is going to hurt."

"I know," Sam said.

"You ready?"

"Yeah."

Okay, here we go." Rob assisted the lift, even with his help it was an agonizing move. Sam dropped into the chair and Rob lifted the footrest so his injured ankle was elevated.

"Thanks."

"Give yourself a dose and we'll go. You're going to have to hang onto the IV. I have a funny feeling Mike would know if I disconnected it."

"Okay," Sam punched the button, waited for the drugs to take the edge off the agonizing pain, and then motioned Rob to go.

**XXX**

The heavy, sluggish feeling of drugs was filling his body, leaving a dull ache and a metallic taste in his mouth. Galen fought his way through it so he could grab the healing and flooded his body with the light, letting it drive the sedative away and then focused on the underlying problem. The spell that had killed the worm had drained him. It would take a while before he could completely rid his body of the black poison the thing had left. At least with the thing dead he actually had a chance of healing himself once and for all. It wasn't going to come looking for him, neither would its young. They'd all died when the worm had died. Galen knew that, felt it in the way the poison was moving through his body. He concentrated and let the healing light flow. The poison began to dissipate.

He opened his eyes and stared at the unfamiliar ceiling over his head. _Hospital. _Right, Rob had called because Sam's leg was torn up and Galen couldn't do more for Dean. _Gods, Dean. _Was the hunter even still alive? Galen knew he'd saved him for the moment, but the combination of poison and the bites was a lot for a body to handle. If he was still alive, he would need healing as soon as possible.

"You're awake," a nurse came into the room. Galen nodded. "I'll let Dr. Silva know."

"My friends?" Galen asked.

"The doctor will tell you," she snapped.

"Please?" Galen let his hand brush her arm where it was resting against the bed, he let a little of the healing flow. "I'm worried about them. Has my brother checked on them?"

"Of course you are." She smiled at him, and patted his hand. "Dr. Silva just checked on the one in ICU and the other is just up the hall. I think he's doing better. Your brother just left your room to check on him."

"Thank you." Galen smiled at her and closed his eyes, letting her do her job.

Once she was gone, Galen cautiously sat up, waiting through the wave of dizziness before slipping the IV out of his hand and stopping the small bleed it left behind. He swung his legs off the bed and did his best to hide his intentions from his brother. The bond was inconvenient at times. He didn't want to worry Rob any more than necessary, but his brother did tend to growl sometimes.

He opened the door and peered down the hall, the nurses were at their station and the corridor was empty except for a heavy woman pushing a meal cart. Galen pulled his gown around him and walked with as much dignity as the garment allowed down the hallway to the elevators. He was on the tenth floor, ICU was on eight. When the elevator arrived, he stepped in, punched the button to the floor and leaned against the wall, focusing a little healing into himself, not much, he'd need it to stabilize Dean.

The doors to the elevator slid open and he checked the hallway before stepping out. He waited for a nurse to go into one of the rooms before heading down the corridor. Galen glanced into each room and he passed. Dean was four doors down, alone in his room.

The hunter was a mess, Galen didn't even need a touch to know how bad it was. The monitors over Dean's head told him enough. He walked to the bed and took in the bandages on Dean's neck and the gray cast of his skin. Dean didn't have long.

Galen rubbed his hands together to warm them and help focus the healing, wondering how much he could get away with before he put his own life at risk. Taking a deep breath, he laid his hands on Dean's forehead and chest. The poison hit him the instant his hands were down, sending pain that shot up his arms and exploded in his head. His vision washed with red and he closed his eyes, trying to concentrate on the healing. He began drawing as much of the poison away, hoping to save Dean's life. They could worry about the details later. It wasn't easy. It was taking a lot to keep the poison from racing through his own body again. Galen could feel the dark scar on his heart starting to react to it.

He was so focused on healing Dean, he didn't hear the sound behind him.

"What are you doing?" Rob shouted, out loud and through the bond.

"Galen! Damn all!" Mike was shouting as well.

He didn't have much time, and he knew it, he rallied what energy he had left and flooded Dean with it, feeling the light pause against a wall. The monitors started beeping wildly, then changing tone. He pushed against the poison. It fought back and he pressed harder, trying to overcome it.

"Grab him!" Rob said.

"Right!" Mike answered and rough hands grabbed Galen and pulled him away. "Galen!"

"What the hell?" Rob growled.

"Dean, oh god," Sam whispered.

"Is he alive?" Galen mumbled, trying to see through the wash of blood and the pain throbbing in his head. "Rob? Is he alive?"

_**To Be Continued**_


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: First, let me apologize for the length of time that this story has just waited for an ending. Thank you for your patience, I am not sure why I let this one slip so long. Thank you as always for reading and reviewing, consider yourselves all hugged and if you every stop by, coffee (or tea) from Becci's on me!_

**The Forest**

**Chapter Eight**

There was a throbbing in time with his heart as Galen leaned against his brother. "Is he alive?" he demanded for what felt like the tenth time. Medical staff had stormed into the room and Mike had firmly moved Galen away from the bed while they worked. Once again, no one answered him. Galen leaned against his brother, closed his eyes and felt for the healing, it was trickling back—he drew on Rob's energy and used the light to quiet the pounding in his head, as he did his vision cleared as well. He glanced up at the monitors over the hunter's bed and sighed in relief. Things were still far from okay, but Dean was alive and Galen was pretty sure he could keep him that way.

"Back to your room," Mike said, stopping in front of him.

"Okay," Galen said, letting Rob help him.

"All of you," the doctor said, glaring at Sam.

"I'll take care of it, Mike," Rob assured him and carefully helped Galen stand, waiting until he was steady on his feet before pushing the wheelchair Sam was sitting in out into the hallway. "We'll go to your room," Rob said to Sam, the younger Winchester nodded, his face gray.

Galen could feel the waves of fury washing off his brother. Rob was more than angry with him, but Galen had done what was needed and how many times had Rob done something like that? _More times than I liked to think about._ His brother had the annoying habit of doing what he felt was right, and he could hide it from Galen, even through the bond, because he was convinced he was right. One day he was sure it would lead to trouble.

They got back to the room and Rob helped Sam into bed. Galen noticed Sam was shaking, his face tight with pain. He walked carefully to the bed, ignoring the growl from his brother, and punched the button on the morphine pump. Sam sighed a moment later and smiled.

"Thanks," he said. "Will Dean be okay?"

"As soon as I get you out of here," Mike said from the door. "I called the ambulance for the…ahem… transfer."

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked, his voice a little thick from the drugs.

"I told you, I can't have miracle cures, they are very hard to explain and there is nothing we can do to help Dean. So I am having you transferred to some place that can."

"Where's that?" Sam asked, his eyes drooping.

"Our house," Galen answered.

"Oh…" Sam mumbled something else, then was asleep.

"Not until you are stronger," Rob said as soon as they stepped out of the room. Mike followed them.

"I'm okay, Rob, but Dean—if it had been left any longer he'd be dead. I had to do something just to keep him stable until my Gift comes all the way back."

"Killing yourself doesn't seem like a good way to stabilize him."

"I know what I'm doing!" Galen snapped, then grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, headache. Can I go?" he said, turning to Mike.

"Yes, please before Flash decides to show up." Mike eyed him. "Rest until you're strong enough, Galen. I'll be by later tonight to check on things."

"Thanks, Mike," Galen said in relief. "Do I have any clothes?"

Rob laughed. "You don't want to go home in the hospital gown?"

"Not really."

"Don't worry, I put a set of sweats and a t-shirt in your room, you can give them back later," the doctor said.

"Let's go home," Rob said. Galen knew his brother was worried and being safely back at the apartment with its many protective charms would help. "Hopefully Flash hasn't destroyed the place yet."

**XXX**

The overwhelming pain that had filled every second of the last eternity was easing. Dean took a slow breath, there were still twinges—maybe a little more than a twinge—but he could tell something had changed. He was doing better. As he lay there, he realized it was quiet. Not the quiet of a hospital ward, but quiet. There were no beeps of monitors, no footsteps outside the door, nothing but the soft swish of a fan. He wondered if he should open his eyes. There was no light against his eyelids, so he had a sinking feeling he was still blind, the poison of the black worm destroyed his sight before… He frowned—he _had _been in a hospital and before that he vaguely remembered the final fight with the creature.

"Sam?"

"He's sleeping," Galen answered him.

"He's okay?"

"Not yet, but he will be. I've managed to stop the spread of the saliva from the larvae, and once the wound is healed he'll be alright, although he might limp for a while, his leg was badly injured."

"And me?"

"You are a mess," Galen said with a soft laugh.

"Thanks."

"But not such a huge mess that it can't be fixed. I've had to go a little slower than usual healing you—between the spell that killed the worm and the poison…"

"Am I still blind?" Dean asked.

"Is that why you haven't opened your eyes?" Galen asked gently.

"Yep."

"I'm not sure."

"That's not a really good answer," Dean said. He cracked his right eye open. The room was dimly lit, only a small lamp beside the bed was on and it cast long shadows into the corner of the room. He sighed in relief as he opened the other eye. "They work." He looked over at the other man. "You look like hell."

"Thanks," Galen said, smiling. "It's been a long week."

"You're sure Sam's going to be okay?"

"Yes," Galen assured him. "In fact, Rob's discovered the only way to keep him distracted is propped up in the corner of the room by the rare books. The two of them have been…discussing…things now and then."

Dean grinned. "Discussing?"

"Loudly once or twice, Rob disagreed with something in one of Sam's favorite sources and that led to the two of them pulling books off the shelf, each trying to prove the other wrong. When Rob lapsed into Anglo-Saxon and Old Norse, I just tuned them out."

"I would have tuned them out before then." Dean shifted. Pain shot through his body. "Son of a bitch."

"I told you—you are not better yet," Galen chided him. He helped him sit up in bed, propping the pillows behind his head. "I have some doctor style pain killers here." He handed Dean two pills and a cup.

"Thanks. "Dean took the pills and leaned against the pillows. "Can I have coffee?"

"You sound like Rob," Galen said, laughing for some reason. Still he pulled out his cell phone and hit speed dial. "Hey, Sarah, can you deliver some coffee? Rob's and Sam's usual, a mocha for me and…"

"Americano, sugar, inch of cream," Dean said.

"Did you get that? Yeah, just come up when you get here."

"Coffee delivery by hot baristas." Dean sighed. "Nice." The coffee arrived a few minutes later. Dean wondered what theme day it was as he looked at the woman's outfit. Whatever it was, it was good. "Their coffee really is better," Dean said, happily sipping the hot coffee.

"It is. And Becci is doing very well. She said something about maybe opening another stand."

"Awesome, finally a reason to come back to Washington. The state hates me." Dean wondered where that came from, then remembered the pain pills he'd taken.

"The state hates you?"

"Yeah, every time we're here it's something."

"We have the kind of calling that leads to somethings…" Galen pointed out.

"It's not the werewolves, orcs, or other creatures I mind."

"Then what?"

"Have you noticed that the nettles here get taller than Sam? And there are blackberries everywhere on the West side of the mountains. On the east side you have nettles—smaller I grant, but no less fun—rattlesnakes…The list goes on."

"Nettles are handy," Galen said.

"What?"

"I even have some growing in the garden."

"You have _what _growing in the garden?"

"And dandelions and some other things most people think are weeds. They are medicinal—and magical."

"Huh." Dean was nearing the bottom of the coffee, the pain pills working their way through his system. He blinked and realized it took longer to open his eyes than it should. "I need to…" He closed his eyes, as he did, he felt the coffee cup taken from his hand.

"It does not say that!" Rob's voice woke Dean sometime later.

"Yes, it does," Sam replied in the same tone.

"That's because it's translated wrong. Look at this word here…"

"I see that, but this one modifies that one."

Dean sat up cautiously. The pain was almost completely gone. He peeked at his chest, the dark wound was gone, only a tiny ring of pink left where it had been. There was a set of clean clothes and a towel set on the end of the bed. Dean took that to mean he was allowed to get up and have a shower. He stood, steadying himself on the headboard. He was better, but still not all the way—and made his way to the bathroom. After a shower he was feeling nearly normal and he walked towards the large, main room of the apartment. Although he was wondering if he should.

"Have you read anything else by him? The man is an idiot! He once mistranslated _bear_ and if you are out hunting something it's handy to know if it's a bear or something else," Rob said.

"I read that one," Sam replied. "I wondered why it said bears when they were obviously…"

"That's what I'm talking about! The man is an idiot."

Dean slipped into the room. Sam was sitting with his back to the hallway. His foot was propped up, but from the set of his shoulders, Dean could tell his brother was feeling better. Galen spotted him and smiled.

"How do you feel?"

The simple question had the effect of silencing everything in the room.

"Dean!" Sam turned and stood—a little unsteady—but before Dean could react his brother was across the room, pulling him into a tight hug, Dean returned it, leaning against Sam for a moment. "Are you okay?" Sam whispered.

"Yeah." Dean replied, then let go to look at his brother. "How are you?"

"I'm fine,' Sam said, then looked at him, frown deployed at full squinch. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yea…" He stopped, Galen's words from the tunnel coming back to him. "Mostly. Just another day or two of coffee and I should be fine."

"It is the magic elixir," Rob said. "Right, Galen?"

"Only in your world, Brat. Do you feel like eating?" he asked looking at Dean.

"Starving," Dean said, lowering himself onto the sofa. Sam sat in the chair, watching him.

"Do you like Indian food?" Galen asked.

"Um…"

"We'll be right back. Rob? Pry yourself away from the books and let's go get something from Gateway."

"Good plan," Rob said, carefully tucking a book back on the shelf. "We'll be right back."

Dean waited until they were gone before looking at his brother. "I'm okay, Sammy."

"You…" Sam's eyes were bright.

"But I didn't," Dean said, nudging his brother with his knee. "Let me see your leg."

"It's fine."

"Sam…"

With a sigh, Sam pulled up his pants leg and showed Dean the healing scar on his leg. "Galen said there won't be much of a scar left in a few weeks. What about you?"

"The poison is gone, I can see and the scar is almost completely gone."

Sam nodded, his eyes still suspiciously bright. "Dean…" He shook his head as a tear trickled over his face.

"It didn't happen, Sam, we're both okay. This one is a win."

"Yeah," Sam said quietly. "Next time, Dean…"

"There won't be a next time, I told you the poison is gone."

"Not that, I mean the next time there is something wrong and you don't tell me about it…"

"What?" Dean snapped.

"Just don't, okay?" his brother asked softly, the tears still there.

"Yeah," Dean agreed. _Unless it's for his own good. _

"And no qualifying your answer."

"Stop that," Dean said.

"Stop what?" Sam asked with a smile.

"Oh god."

"What?" Sam asked the smile disappearing.

"They're vegetarians, what the hell are they going to bring back with them?"

Sam started laughing, Dean grinned then laughed too. They'd made it.

It was another two days before Galen let Dean head downstairs into the Apothecary. He sat behind the counter, moving his stool so he could clearly see the coffee stand across the street. Sam and Rob were still arguing about various books, but they'd moved the argument into the shop where there was a collection of books that Rob had for people to use for research. After a few hours, Dean had just tuned them out. He'd tried to follow their discussion over dinner two nights in a row, but had just given up and he and Galen had turned to cars and music.

Last night Flash had shown up with bags of food, vegetarian for Galen and Rob and "real food" for him, Sam and Dean. Flash was interesting—to say the least—and had accompanied the Emrys brothers on several hunts. Dean suspected the scars that marked the man's face and neck came from one of those hunts. Flash had stayed late and after dinner he'd dragged over several guitars and they'd spent the evening ignoring Rob and Sam and playing a bizarre game of "name that tune".

"Coffee?" Galen said, breaking into Dean's thoughts. "It's goth fantasy day."

Dean slid off the stool. "Like you had to ask."

They walked across the street, as they reached the stand the window opened and Becci leaned out. "Hi guys. The usual?"

"Yeah, thanks, Becci," Galen said with a smile.

Dean was grinning. Goth fantasy day was even better than scarf day or whatever it had been a couple of days ago. He also marveled at the fact that the baristas all knew the "usual" drinks for all of them. Dean also noticed that Galen never paid for coffee.

"Why doesn't she charge you?"

"I helped one of her employees, she won't take my money. Flash takes full advantage of the 'if you are delivering it to the Apothecary you get a freebie too' program."

"He would."

"One day Becci is going to skin him, because sometimes the coffees don't get to us." Galen laughed as they walked back to the shop.

"I'm going to miss this coffee," Dean said after he'd handed a cup to his brother and Galen had given one to Rob.

"It's always here," Galen said seriously. Dean took it for what it was, an offer of sanctuary. If they needed help it would be here waiting as well.

"Thanks." He sat back on the stool behind the counter, watching the flow of customers. A few wandered over to where Rob and Sam sat among the books, but most were coming for herbs or other items. As it got busier, Dean moved the stool so he could ring up purchases and leave Galen free to help customers. He was surprised by the variety of items they sold—herbs, charms, jewelry. The variety of customers was surprising as well. Some were there just for the vitamins and popular herbs, but others were there for more esoteric items and one of them, a man named Marc, came in and he raised all of Dean's hunter instincts the moment he walked in. Galen treated him like any other client, so Dean didn't say anything until the man had gone, then he turned to the other man.

"He wasn't human," Dean said with certainty.

"No, he's a werewolf," Galen said calmly. "He's been coming to me for help."

"Help?" Dean looked at him. "Are you crazy?"

"So far he's fine." Galen put a bottle of herbs away. "If there ever is a problem, it will be dealt with." He glanced over at Dean.

"Even if he's a friend?"

"Especially if he is," Galen said, steel in his voice. "And he knows it."

Dean was taken aback by the look on Galen's face. "You've had do it before?"

"Yes, once, a long time ago. He was a friend and classmate at University—when I was an undergraduate." He turned away for a moment. "And part of our duty as Keepers is to ease others into the Otherworld. I…" He paused.

"What?"

"My father."

"Your father? God, Galen, I'm sorry," Dean said contritely.

"It's part of our duty." Galen smile wanly. "Doesn't make me feel less guilty some days."

"Galen," Rob said quietly.

"I know," Galen said, and the two exchanged a silent look. "Rob had to kill me, so…" He grinned.

"He had to what?" Dean asked.

"Long story, I'll tell you sometime. It's closing. What's for dinner?"

"We decided Thai," Rob said, standing and walking over to lock the door and turn off the open sign. "And you two can go get it. We're finishing this up."

"What? You're going to throw books at each other?" Galen asked.

"Not yet," Sam said with a laugh.

Galen walked into the back of the shop and took a set of keys off a hook by the door. He smiled at Dean. "Want to drive?"

Dean grinned. "The Thirty-nine?"

"She's the one we use for in-town errands."

"Oh hell yeah," he said, taking the keys and walking out the door to the pristine 1939 Ford parked in the lot behind the shop.

**Epilogue**

Galen stood beside the Impala as Sam and Dean put the last of their bags into the trunk. Rob had given Sam several books, and Galen had made sure the hunters had a box of medicinal and magical herbs, as well as a few charms he thought they might be able to use. It had been almost two weeks since the Winchesters had been released from the hospital, and Sam had found a hunt that he insisted they needed to pursue. From the tone of his voice, and the emotion washing off him when he said it, Galen thought it was something that they had faced before. Dean had muttered something about "finishing it this time".

"That's everything," Dean said, closing the trunk.

"Thank you," Sam said. "For…"

"Everything," Dean finished for him.

"You have our number, if you ever need anything, call," Rob said.

"We mean it," Galen said. "Research, another pair of hands, whatever, we have some interesting resources."

"I figured that out," Dean said with a laugh. He looked like he was about to say something else, cleared his throat and nodded. "Yeah."

"Yeah," Sam agreed.

The Winchesters got into the car and the engine roared to life. Dean waved out the window and as they pulled out of the lot, Galen heard the stereo come on. Rob looked over at him.

"You okay?"

"That's really annoying, Brat."

"So the answer is no?" Rob said as they walked back to the shop.

"I am…"

"But?"

"I just have an odd feeling, you know?"

"I do." Rob met his eyes, Galen knew his brother had seen something in one of the Winchesters he was keeping to himself.

"They'll be back," Galen said.

"I hope so," Rob agreed, he nudged Galen. "Coffee? I've only had sixteen shots so far today."

"Sixteen? Your heart is going to explode one day."

"Yeah, yeah, you always say that. I'll be right back."

Galen watched his brother walk across the street, Becci leaned out of the stand with a smile. Things were back to normal, and they'd made it through. It had been close, he wondered if Sam and Dean realized how close it had been for all of them. For now, he let it go. They were okay, the shop had survived Flash's care and—Galen smiled—the sun was even shining. He walked to the door to enjoy it, noticing the dark clouds massing over to the north. There was another storm coming, but for now he was going to enjoy the sun.

_**The End**_


End file.
